


Leap of Faith

by ShadowSpark



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Other Miscellanies SWTOR Spoilers, Spoilers for Knights of the Old Republic, Spoilers for Knights of the Old Republic II: the Sith Lords restored content mod, Spoilers for Maelstrom Prison flashpoint, Spoilers for Sith Inquisitor storyline, Spoilers for The Old Republic: Revan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 23:27:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3096518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowSpark/pseuds/ShadowSpark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Needing to find a way to boost her abilities before the final confrontation with Darth Thanaton, Nocturne'a Starshadow (the Female Sith Inquisitor) makes contact with the Force-ghost of Meetra Surik and learns of a Jedi held captive in a secret facility deep in the Outer Rim, who might be able to teach her to use the power of the Force in balance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Contact

**Author's Note:**

> Renamed the story, because 'The Final Preperation' sounds a bit ridiculous.
> 
> Having completed the Sith Inquisitor storyline while playing as a light side character, I thought it might have been interesting if Nocturne'a (my character) had enlisted Revan's help in defeating Darth Thanaton. So I've tweaked the story a bit to have her go through the Maelstrom Prison plot instead of having a Republic character do it. After that, we get into new territory (which will include content from the Shadow of Revan expansion), so I'm not going to say anything more.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: The Old Republic or any of the characters and/or locations therein. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes, and I am not making any money from it. The changes to the canon plot, however, are my ideas.

_The misty blue figure of the Force-ghost approaches Nocturne'a. She instinctively knows that this spirit - its aura flaring with the Light's power - is not one of the ones bound to her. There is a sad look in the spirit's eyes._

_"Who are you?" Nocturne'a whispers warily. "Why are you appearing to me?"_

_"In life, I was Meetra Surik," the ghost responds. "I am here because you need help, and the one who can help you needs your help as well."_

_"I don't understand," Nocturne'a protests. "Who are you talking about? Who can help me?"_

_"You must enter the Maelstrom and free him..."_

Nocturne'a Starshadow woke with a start. The young Sith assassin sat up and rubbed her glowing-red eyes. This was the third night in a row that she'd had the dream. Perhaps it was the answer to her problem. _Though the bound spirits will protect me from Thanaton's rituals, he still out-powers me. Unless I can find a way to boost my own abilities before I challenge him, he'll kill me._ And that wasn't an option. The prospect of her own death troubled her little; it was what would happen to her crew that was the main worry. Without a doubt, Darth Thanaton would see all of them dead. And Nocturne'a was not about to let that happen. From Ashara to Treek to Khem Val, this crew was _hers_ to protect.

Nocturne'a got out of bed and sank to the floor, falling easily into the meditation position. She took a deep breath and opened herself to the Force, seeking answers. Almost immediately, the spirit from her dreams appeared. _"Well, that took you long enough,"_ the spirit said, crossing her arms. _"I was wondering how many dreams I would have to send you before you would seek me out."_

Nocturne'a sighed. _In case you hadn't noticed, I've been a bit busy trying to keep a step ahead of Darth Thanaton,_ she replied silently. _Now spirit - Meetra Surik, was it? - why have you been intruding on my dreams?_

_"Because I have an answer to your problem,"_ Meetra replied. Nocturne'a frowned suspiciously. _You were a Jedi,_ she said. _Why come to me? I am Sith, I serve the Empire._

Meetra shook her head sadly. _"None of the Jedi who I attempted to make contact with would listen, not even Grand Master Satele Shan. Besides, even if they had listened, I doubt that they would have been able to help. I believe only someone within the Empire can help."_

Nocturne'a tilted her head to one side. _You have my attention,_ the assassin said. _Say what you wish to say._

_"What do you know of Revan?"_ Meetra asked in response. Nocturne'a shrugged. _Only that he was both Jedi and Sith, that 300 years ago, he came to Dromund Kass and attempted to kill the Emperor. His plan failed due to the actions of Lord Scourge, the Emperor's Wrath, his right hand and most faithful servant. As far as I know, that was the end of him. On Dromund Kass, there is a cult dedicated to his teachings, the belief that there is more to the Force than light and dark._ Nocturne'a had infiltrated said cult, and though she found the cultists very strange and most of their ideas quite absurd, she felt the core of their beliefs had merit.

_"It was not the end of him,"_ Meetra said quietly. _"Revan lives. The Emperor has held him captive and has been feeding off his connection to the Force. For the last 300 years, dark sorcery has kept him alive, trapped in the Maelstrom Prison. But his will is fading, and if he is not freed soon, the Emperor will consume him utterly."_

Nocturne'a shuddered. She had met the Emperor only once, and his very presence had both terrified and repulsed her. She could not imagine the horror that would come from what Meetra was describing. _While I agree that this is terrible, what does_ _it have to do with me? I cannot stand against the Emperor. He would squish me like a bug. Not to mention, I have my own enemies to fight._

_"You must infiltrate the Maelstrom Prison and free Revan before it is too late,"_ Meetra said. Nocturne'a raised her eyebrows. _Say I do do this, and I somehow succeed. How will this help solve my problem with Darth Thanaton?_

Now Meetra smiled. _"Having been both Jedi and Sith, Revan has found a balance within the Force. You have the potential to achieve the same balance, and the enormous power that comes with it. All you need is the right teacher."_

Nocturne'a mulled this over for a bit. _Alright,_ she said finally. _I'll look into it._

_"That is all I can ask."_ The Force-ghost bowed to Nocturne'a and faded away.

\---

_To be continued..._


	2. Chapter One: Searching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for The Old Republic: Revan, by Drew Karpyshyn.

Nocturne'a opened her eyes and rose to her feet. Her knees ached from kneeling on the cold metal deck plates of the _Fury_ , and a glance at the chronometer told her that she had been meditating for three hours.

Nocturne'a gathered a few datapads and moved quickly to the ship's intercom, calling her crew together. Her red gaze raked over them.

"My lord?" Ashara asked. "You're pensive, what is it?" Nocturne'a smiled faintly at the former Jedi. "You are getting better at sensing the emotions of others," she commented. "That's good." Ashara smiled uncertainly. Gentle praise from her Sith master was rare. Normally such words came with a rebuke as well.

Nocturne'a pushed her hair out of her face and turned to Andronikos Revel. "Andronikos, what, if anything, do you know about the Maelstrom Nebula?"

The pilot hummed thoughtfully and shrugged. "It's very big and near impossible to fly through. The electromagnetic radiation in there is unpredictable, meaning the safe routes through it change every few minutes." Andronikos tilted his head. "There are some rumors that the Emperor has some kind of facility in there, but that's all I know."

Nocturne'a nodded and turned to Talos Drellik. "Do you have anything to add, Talos?" she asked. Talos nodded. "Actually, I do. The rumors that Mr. Revel mentioned are in fact true. I was part of the team that unearthed an ancient Gree device that can calculate safe routes through the nebula. I know that there is supposed to be an experimental facility of some kind in there, but I've never been to it. Which is a good thing, considering the Emperor has a policy that ensures all the men who work on the station itself on a temporary basis are executed once their jobs are done."

"My lord," Ashara began uncertainly, "if I may ask, why the sudden curiosity about this place? Why is it important? Does it have to do with Darth Thanaton?"

Nocturne'a took a deep breath and raked her gaze over the crew once more. "Though the bound spirits will give me protection from Thanaton's rituals, he still out powers me by a considerable amount," she admitted. "If I confront him now, he will kill me, and then he will hunt all of you down and kill you as well. In my meditations, I have learned that there is a prisoner in that facility that can teach me what I need to know to be able to defeat Thanaton. So we are going to sneak into that prison and break him out."

Silence greeted this statement. Finally, Ashara spoke. "Just who are we rescuing?" she asked.

Nocturne'a smiled thinly. "One who has been both Jedi and Sith. Who very nearly drove the Republic to its knees. Savior, conqueror, hero, villain, he was all of these things, and in the end he belongs to neither the light nor the darkness. We go to rescue Revan."

Further silence greeted that statement. It was Talos who spoke uncertainly. "I do not mean to doubt you, my lord, but Revan lived almost 300 years ago. How is it he can be alive now?"

Nocturne'a's face took on an indiscernible expression. "The Emperor has many dark powers. Horrible powers that thrive on pain and fear and death. Do not ask me more." Her tone of voice clearly said that the subject was closed.

After a few more silent moments, Ashara spoke up. "We follow you, my lord," she said, "but where exactly are we following you to? If this Maelstrom Nebula is impossible to fly through, how are we going to get to a station in the middle of it?"

"We start by going to these coordinates," Nocturne'a replied, handing one of the datapads to Andronikos. The pilot took the 'pad and glanced at it. "I'll set course right away," he said, heading for the cockpit.

The Sith assassin turned to the rest of her crew. "Talos, I need you, 2V, and Treek to prepare the portable scanners to look for this signature-" she handed the second 'pad to Talos, "-and then get some supply packs put together. There won't be any food or water available where we're going. The conditions are going to be similar to Tatooine, only not as hot. Think arid and barren." The IRS agent nodded and left the room, Treek on his heels and 2V-R8 clanking along behind them.

Now Nocturne'a looked at the three Force-sensitive members of the crew. "The three of you will need to make some special preparations of you own," she began. "The planet we are headed for is completely devoid of the Force. The others won't feel it, but you will. It will drain you, and you will be effectively Force-blind for the duration."

"How is that possible?" Ashara asked. The Togruta's mind immediately went to the last line of the Jedi code: _There is no death, there is the Force._

Nocturne'a sighed. "The Emperor caused it. It is how he became immortal. He used an ancient ritual that consumed all life on the planet, binding it to his own."

 _"I have heard tales of this ritual,"_ Khem Val rumbled. _"My master, Tulak Hord thought of attempting it, but decided against trying."_

Nocturne'a inclined her head. "As far as I know, the Emperor is the only being who has ever succeeded in performing it. Ashara, I suspect you learned somewhat of Katarr during your Jedi training?"

Ashara nodded. "I did. It's a dead world, destroyed by the Sith when the Jedi gathered there after Revan's war."

"Mostly correct," Nocturne'a said. "Only it was the actions of a single Sith Lord that caused the devastation. Darth Nihilus attempted the ritual, but he failed to perform it correctly. He became an entity of pure hunger, forced to consume the life forces of others in order to survive. Nothing remained of the being he had been before."

Ashara looked nauseous, though both Khem and Xalek seemed indifferent. Nocturne'a shook her head, signaling that the matter was closed. "I suggest the three of you spend the remaining time meditating and working on your shielding. You will need it to be stronger than ever before. I shall be doing the same. Dismissed."

_\---In Orbit Above the Force-devoid Planet of Nathema, several hours later---_

Nocturne'a stared down at the barren world. _And to think, this was once a thriving planet, one of the Empire's most productive agricultural worlds,_ she mused. Finally she understood at least part of the reason the Emperor's presence had repulsed her so much. _Any ruler that would do this does not care for the people he rules over,_ she thought. _While it is true I have fought and killed others to get where I am today, I would never slaughter an entire planet for my own personal gain. That is just revolting._

"My lord?" The Sith assassin turned at Ashara's voice. "Speak," she told the girl.

"What, exactly are we looking for here?"

"An assassin droid going by the designation HK-47," Nocturne'a replied. "Revan built it, and we're going to need its help to rescue him."

Ashara blinked in confusion. "Um...why are we going to need the help of a 300-year-old droid?"

"Aside from the fact that having HK-47 on our side might be the only way to get Revan to trust us, it is going to be a very big help in retrieving the computer that will allow us to get to the prison in the first place."

Ashara nodded slowly, and Nocturne'a looked back to the viewport. "Andronikos, scan for any anomalous readings," she ordered. "Look for signatures that are significantly more recent than the surrounding ones, and set us down near the most recent one."

"Aye m'lord," Andronikos said, setting the scanners. Nocturne'a left the cockpit, Ashara a step behind. "How are your shields?" Nocturne'a asked the former Jedi. Though she rarely showed it, the Sith assassin did care deeply about her crew. It was one of the reasons that she was going this far, trusting to this slim chance that she could gain the power she needed.

"They're reinforced," Ashara replied. "I can feel the emptiness from here, but it's not really affecting me."

"While you're in the ship, even after we land, it will be better. The ship is familiar to you, and thus might provide a link to the Force. Should you step outside, that link will vanish." Nocturne'a's voice was steady, but Ashara still shivered. Nocturne'a looked at the Togruta and her expression softened. "You don't have to leave the ship you know," she said. "If the Void is too much, you can stay and stand guard."

Ashara snorted. "Why would the ship need guarding?" she asked. "There's nothing alive that could take it." Nocturne'a inclined her head with a slight smile. "Well, HK-47 could take it," she pointed out. "But if you're up to it, you can come."

She waved Ashara away and stepped back into the cockpit, fixing her glowing-red gaze on the brown orb of the planet once more. "This is _weird_ ," Andronikos blurted. "The scans show cities and all the other signs of an advanced civilization, but there are no life readings whatsoever. I'm not even picking up any animals." He looked around at Nocturne'a, who didn't show signs of surprise. "My lord? You're not surprised..." the pilot trailed off with a confused frown.

Nocturne'a's only response was to cross her arms. She didn't look away from the viewport. "Have you found a place to set down?" she asked. Andronikos nodded. "Yeah, it looks like a small shuttle of some kind landed on the outskirts of one of the cities pretty recently. I'll put us down nearby."

"Good," Nocturne'a said. She turned and left the cockpit. _Now the only thing I have to figure out is how to get HK-47 to trust me,_ she mused. _That will not be easy._

As if in response to that thought, Nocturne'a heard the voice of Meetra Surik's spirit echo though her mind. _"When you see HK-47, you will have to speak this number sequence and password,"_ Meetra told her. The Force-ghost's voice was faint, barely a whisper, as it told the Sith what to say. " _It will activate a protocol that will stop him from attacking and allow you to explain your mission."_ The voice paused a moment. _"I can go with you no further. Good luck."_

Nocturne'a grimaced. Meetra had said nothing about what would happen _after_ she explained her mission to the assassin droid. It was true that, since HK-47 was designed from the self-repairing technology harvested from the Star Forge, his processor should still be functioning correctly, but there was no telling for sure. And from what the history datacrons had said of Revan's infamous droid, even if his processor was uncorrupted, he might just try to kill them anyway. Nocturne'a sighed and shook her head. Being overcautious wouldn't do any good. Only seizing the opportunity would help her survive.

As the ship descended through the atmosphere, Nocturne'a repressed a shudder. The emptiness pressed in upon her, seeking to drain her life away. She could understand why Meetra's spirit had refused to accompany them. This place would tear the ghost apart and devour her. The spirits bound to Nocturne'a were silent, even heavily shielded within her, they were feeling the drain just as much as she was, if not more. She poured a little more energy into her shields, strengthening them further in order to protect the spirits. A hint of amusement flicker through her as she thought about just what she was doing. It was ironic, really. Even after all the ghosts had done to her, she couldn't help but feel a hint of protectiveness for them. _Or perhaps it's possessiveness,_ she mused. _They are_ mine _, and no one will take them from me, not until I'm ready to let them go._ Not to mention the fate of any spirit unlucky enough to venture here without a living shield was not one Nocturne'a would wish on anyone, not even Darth Thanaton.

The landing was smooth, and Nocturne'a took a deep breath as the ramp lowered and the hatch opened. The air was neither hot nor cold, but it had a dry, dead quality to it. Nocturne'a grimaced as her mind automatically tried to reach out to the Force and found nothing. The sensation of being cut off was disturbing, a loss of balance that made her want to flee. She had been aware of the Force all her life, and now, being without it, she felt a surge of pity for the non-Sensitives of the Galaxy. Shaking off the errant thoughts, Nocturne'a strode down the ramp. Dead grass crackled under her feet, but the noise was oddly muffled, as if even sound had to struggle to exist here.

The Sith assassin hitched the supply pack higher onto her shoulder. "Split into teams," she ordered. "Stay in sight of your partner at all times, and keep your comms open. Khem Val, with me. Andronikos, I want you and 2V to stay here and guard the ship. Keep the hatch sealed until we return. Ashara, you will go with Talos. Xalek, you go with Treek. If you see HK-47, do _not_ engage. Contact me and wait for my arrival. If he does confront you, speak the number sequence and password I gave you, then contact me and wait for my arrival. Under no circumstances are you to attack him, is that clear?" The others nodded.

"Alright then," Nocturne'a said. "Ashara, you and Talos go check out the city center. See if you can find any government buildings and access the files. And yes, Talos, you can gather images of what you find interesting, so long as it doesn't compromise the mission." She turned to Xalek and Treek. "You two see what you can find in the residential districts. There might be some hints about any recent visitors to the planet there. Khem and I will search the shuttle. Dismissed."

From within the shadows under one of the shuttle's wings, two orange glowing optical sensors watched the group split, two pairs heading for the city while the third headed for the shuttle. _This is about to get interesting,_ HK-47 thought.

_To be continued..._


	3. Chapter Two: Allies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very slight spoilers for Knights of the Old Republic II: the Sith Lords.

Ashara and Talos wandered through the silent streets of the city. For the most part, it looked like any other city that had been evacuated. But there were a few oddities that stuck out. Wreckage from where speeders had veered and crashed, as if they had all lost control at the same time, might have been explained away as the result of a city-wide EMP that had cut all the power, but there was no explanation for the small piles of clothes that were scattered around. It was as if the people had simply vanished, leaving their clothes behind. And it wasn't just the people. Talos stopped for a moment and knelt beside one of the piles. Extending from the little heap of fabric was a leash of some kind, connected to a collar that was just as empty.

"What happened here?" the IRS agent wondered aloud. "There aren't any bones, and no signs that scavengers dragged anything away. It's perfectly preserved, there's no decay." Ashara was silent for a moment. "Lord Nocturne'a told us that the Emperor performed a ritual of some kind that sucked all life out of this place," she said, shivering. "But I didn't think she meant _everything_. Even the bacteria are gone. It's horrible."

Talos looked at the young former Jedi with pity. _She is still so naive,_ he thought. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he got to his feet. "Come on," he said briskly. "We have a mission to accomplish, and we do not want to let our lord down."

There was less damage in the residential districts. Xalek prowled along the empty streets, one hand on the hilt of his double-bladed saber. Treek trailed after him. The usually boisterous Ewok was quiet, almost subdued. Xalek felt skittish; the Force power his ever-roiling rage normally granted him was absent, and he hated the feeling of vulnerability that the lack left him with.

The fact that most of the houses they passed were locked up told Xalek and Treek that whatever had happened here had occurred during a time when few people were at home. The middle of a work day, perhaps. There was no sign of panic, or any hint that the people had known what was coming. The few houses that they entered looked remarkably normal, as if the owners had just stepped out for a bit.

Nocturne'a cautiously approached the shuttle's ramp, Khem Val on her heels. Unlike all the other structures on this planet, this ship had a sense of life to it. The smells of fuel and metal and other ship components tickled the Sith's nose, seeming very strong against the emptiness. The shuttle was very small, only three rooms plus the cockpit, and it took only moments to search it. No one was inside, and all flight data had been wiped from the computers. Nocturne'a sighed, feeling frustration rise.

 _"There is no one here, Little Sith,"_ Khem rumbled. Nocturne'a felt a very slight sense of amusement bubble up under the frustration. _Little Sith,_ Khem called her; in the beginning it had been an insult of sorts, a warning that Khem would struggle and fight the bonds she had on him at every turn, but over time it had almost become a term of endearment. Especially after she had helped remove the spirit of Darth Zash that had possessed him after the failed essence transfer ritual. In a way, Khem was now just as possessive of Nocturne'a as she was of him. She was _his_ master, and he would guard her legacy forever.

"Hmmm..." the Sith assassin stroked the elegant bone spurs on her chin. "HK will have to return to the shuttle eventually," she mused. "We'll wait at the ramp for now."

They moved toward the exit, but stopped at the sound of metal-on-metal. "Statement: I believe I am the droid you are looking for." HK stepped from the top of the ramp into the ship. The droid's rust-colored plating looked battered and scuffed, but even without the Force, Nocturne'a was clearly aware that he was far more dangerous than he appeared. The focus of the deadly sniper rifle in his hands was locked on her chest. She knew she had only seconds before he took the shot that would kill her.

 _I really hope this works,_ Nocturne'a thought, stepping forwards. "Confirmation order Exile-663. Passcode: HK-4653-3473," she said.

HK-47 paused. "Confirmation: Code recognized. Assassination protocol temporarily deactivated. Query: How do you know this code?"

Nocturne'a let out a breath, though she did not relax completely. HK had said his assassination protocol was only _temporarily_ offline, after all. "Meetra Surik gave it to me," she answered the droid's question. "She came to enlist my help in rescuing Revan from the Emperor's prison."

The orange glow of HK-47's optic sensors brightened at the Sith's words. "Excited query: You know the location of my master?" he asked. If he was surprised or skeptical of Nocturne'a's sources, he did not show it. Nocturne'a tilted her head to one side in acknowledgement. "Yes," she replied. "We know where he is, and we intend to free him. Will you help us?"

HK-47 was silent for a moment. "Suspicion: You are Sith, affiliated with the Empire. Why would you defy them to free my master?"

Nocturne'a sighed. "One of the members of the Dark Council is trying to kill me," she said honestly. "I cannot defeat him alone. I need Revan's help. Once he has given it to me, I will help him get back to the Republic." She didn't mention that she intended to help him get back to the Republic regardless. If he decided not to help her, she hoped his reappearance would sufficiently distract Thanaton and the Dark Council long enough for her to come up with a new plan.

There was a long tense silence, then, "Agreement: I will help you," HK-47 said finally. "Threat: If you prove to be a danger to my master, however, I will not hesitate to eliminate you."

Nocturne'a's lips quirked into a smile. "I would expect nothing less," she said. "Come on, let's call the others and get off this abominable planet."

"Statement: Indeed, meatbag. I am eager to find my master." HK-47 turned and clanked down the ramp, the sound becoming more muffled as he stepped back into Nathema's strange atmosphere. Nocturne'a followed, Khem a step behind. The Sith activated her commlink, opening the frequencies to the other two search teams. "We have what we came for," she said. "Return to the _Fury_ immediately." She clicked the comm to the _Fury's_ frequency and spoke. "Andronikos, we're coming in. We have what we came for."

Nocturne'a then turned to HK-47. "My name Nocturne'a Starshadow," she said. "I am a Sith Lord and you will address me with the proper respect. In other words, don't call me 'meatbag.'" Though spoken in a pleasant tone, her words had the distinct hint of a threat to them. HK's optics brightened. "Objection: It is a term of endearment, Lord Nocturne'a." Nocturne'a gave the droid a flat look, easily picking up the sarcasm in his voice. She shook her head.

The other two teams were closer to the ship and were waiting by the open ramp when Nocturne'a, Khem and HK-47 reached them. HK-47 examined the motley group as they moved past him onto the ship. Nocturne'a motioned for the droid to precede her and HK's optics brightened in amusement again. Clearly the Sith did not trust him enough to turn her back on him, a wise caution. Not that he had any intentions of slaughtering them at the moment, as they seemed intent on helping him find his master, but it was intelligent of them to be wary.

HK-47 felt the deck plates of the ship shudder and heard a male voice telling the crew to strap in. He found a position near a bulkhead and activated the magnetic locks on his feet. _He_ felt no difference once the ship broke atmosphere, but he knew the organics would. According to the information he'd found, Nathema was devoid of the Force, and that had effect on organics. Thinking of the Force brought HK's processor onto the subject of the code the Sith had given him. The droid remembered Meetra. She had been his master for a time, and he had stood by her side through several battles, eventually helping her destroy Malachor V for good before parting ways and beginning his search for Revan. Was she still alive as his master was? It was possible; after all, the Exile was almost as clever as Revan in HK's opinion. It would not surprise him if she had found a way to survive. He would have to ask.

As soon as they broke out of Nathema's atmosphere, Nocturne'a felt the Force return. Though she gave no outward sign, inwardly she was near trembling with relief. If she never had to go back to that planet, it would be too soon. _And the Emperor would do that to the entire galaxy if he got the chance,_ she thought, a cold shiver working its way down her spine. She couldn't stand against the Emperor directly, but if Revan chose to do so after he helped her, she certainly wouldn't stand in his way. She might even help him, if she could do it without giving herself away. But that was counting one's Orobirds before they were laid, much less hatched. First she had to rescue him.

_\---_

_To be continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suspect I probably have HK-47 a bit out of character, but since I haven't actually played the restored content mod for KotOR II: TSL yet (I'm having some trouble getting the download to work), I had to improvise.


	4. Chapter Three: Plans

Once they were safely in hyperspace, Nocturne'a moved to the intercom to call her crew together. They gathered around the holoterminal in the common room. "First things first," she said. "Everyone, this is HK-47. HK, this is my crew: Khem Val, Ashara, Xalek, Andronikos, Treek, Talos, and 2V-R8," she introduced. "Now, to business. First, since the facility where Revan is being held is in the center of the Maelstrom Nebula, there is only one safe way to reach it: a Gree computer that is currently located on Taral V."

"So we have to steal this computer?" Andronikos asked. Nocturne'a tilted her head. "We could. However, if we do that, we will lose all secrecy. And that could be a problem."

"So what we really need is _access_ to this computer's functions, not the computer itself," Ashara murmured. Nocturne'a gave the Togruta a sharp look. "What are you thinking?" the Sith asked. Ashara shrugged. "Well, if there are people working in this prison, there have to be supply deliveries," she said. "Why don't we disguise ourselves as one of those? That way we'll get access to the computer's functions, and no one will know that we aren't legitimate."

Nocturne'a looked at Andronikos. "Can it be done?"

The pilot shrugged. "Maybe? I can mask our transponder signal to make us look like another ship, but I'll need the proper codes to make us look like the correct one."

Nocturne'a nodded. "Alright. That means out next step is to intercept a supply ship headed for the Maelstrom Prison." She raked her gaze over the crew once more. "Find me that ship," she ordered. "Dismissed."

The crew scattered, hurriedly getting to work. Nocturne'a glanced at HK-47. "I suspect you have some questions," she said.

"Confirmation: I do," the assassin droid replied. Nocturne'a nodded. "I will answer what I can," she told him. She gestured to the curved seat, and HK clanked over, though he didn't sit when she did. "Ask," she said softly.

"Query: Is Meetra Surik alive, as my master is?" HK's first question surprised Nocturne'a. She had not been expecting that. She shook her head. "No. It was her spirit that appeared to me. Sometimes when a Jedi or Sith dies, their spirit does not become one with the Force. Whether it is because they are bound to something, or they still have a task to finish, they linger."

HK made the whirring noise that was his version of a thoughtful hum. Revan had spoken of this phenomenon. For now he would accept the Sith's words. "Query: What do you intend to do, once we have retrieved my master?"

Nocturne'a closed her eyes for a moment. "I intend to ask for his help. Darth Thanaton - the Sith who is trying to kill me - has more power than I do and I need to change that. Meetra told me that Revan has mastered the ability to use the Force in balance, and that I have the potential to do the same. What I need is a teacher."

"Query: And after my master has taught you this technique?"

Nocturne'a shrugged. "I will take him and you to the neutral world of your choice and we part ways." HK made a thoughtful whirr again. "Statement: That is all I wish to know for now." Nocturne'a inclined her head. "Very well. If you have other questions, ask them as you will."

_\---several hours later---_

"My lord! We've found the ship you requested!" Talos' voice drew Nocturne'a out of her meditation. She rose and left her quarters, heading for the central room. The others were gathered there. "Report," she said.

"The ship we found is called the _Razor's Edge_. It's a small shuttle, a little smaller than ours. It's carrying some sort of medical supplies." Talos was very pleased, and Nocturne'a's mouth curved into a small smile for a moment.

"What's the crew compliment of this ship?" she asked.

"According to the records, the _Edge_ has a crew of eight," Talos replied.

"Very well," Nocturne'a said. "The plan is fairly simple. We go in, take the cipher, transfer the supplies to our ship, destroy the _Razor's Edge_ , and take its place as the delivery shuttle."

"What about the crew?" Andronikos asked. "Surely they won't just give the stuff to us. Are we going to kill them?"

Nocturne'a smiled grimly. "No. The shuttle will have an escape pod. I will wipe the crew's memory of us and give them a fake memory of a critical malfunction destroying the _Edge_ after they made their delivery."

"That's awfully complicated," Andronikos commented. "Why don't we just kill them?"

"Because we need to throw suspicion off of us," the Sith assassin explained. "The comm logs from the prison will show the _Edge_ making the delivery at the same time Revan disappears. Meaning that the crew of the _Edge_ will be under suspicion. If - or when - they are caught, they won't be won't be able to implicate us. Even if it is discovered that the crew's memories were altered, they won't be able to retrieve the truth. I want the hunters to think Revan escaped on his own."

"Statement: That is a devious plan," HK commented. "While I would prefer to simply slaughter them, it does make sense to hide your involvement."

Nocturne'a rolled her eyes. "Thanks, I think."

-

_To be continued..._


	5. Chapter Four: Extraction

_\---the Maelstrom Nebula---_

Taking the place of the _Razor's Edge_ had gone surprisingly smoothly. The cipher had been easy to install, and there was no hint that the comm specialists either on Taral V or the Maelstrom Station found anything amiss. Now came the hard part, infiltrating the prison itself.

" _Razor's Edge, you have clearance to dock at hanger nine,_ " the voice on the comm said. " _Tractor beam engaging._ "

"Confirmed," Andronikos replied before cutting the connection. As the docking procedures commenced, the crew gathered in the main room.

Ashara glanced at Nocturne'a. "So how are we going to go about this, master?" she asked as the ship moved into the hanger.

Nocturne'a turned to HK. "Have you got the schematics?" she asked him. The assassin droid nodded and a hologram appeared above the main terminal. "Hanger nine is here," she said, pointing to a spot on the image. "This is where Revan is being held." She pointed to another spot. "As you can see we're five levels below him. Now there's a landing pad on the same level, so here's what we're going to do.

"Talos, you and 2V are going to deliver the supplies. While you're doing that, HK, Ashara, and I are going to sneak in and get up to the cell. We'll do some sabotage on our way and prepare to take down the external sensors, tractor beams, and auto-guns. As soon as you're done getting the supplies in and they clear you to leave, clear the hanger and signal us. We'll shut down the sensors and such. Then you get to that landing pad and be ready to make a quick exit. We'll meet you there."

"Query: How exactly are we going to keep from being seen?" HK asked. Nocturne'a grinned at him. "I _am_ a Sith assassin, remember? Stealth is my specialty. I will cloak us with the Force."

There was the faint shudder that meant the ship had landed. "Let's get this done," Nocturne'a said. The crew scattered, heading for their posts.

The landing ramp lowered and Talos and 2V disembarked, pushing hover-carts full of supplies ahead of them. As the soldiers moved to take the supplies, no one noticed the three Force-cloaked figures that slipped past them.

Nocturne'a let HK take the lead, as the assassin droid knew the way. Ashara trailed a step behind her. Cloaking the three of them was simple; hiding herself in the Force was one of the earliest skills Nocturne'a had learned, and she was a master of it. They stopped only three times, using the computer terminals to set up remote shut down and overload commands. No one would be paying attention to anything else once these were activated.

The last turbolift took them up the top level, where the cell was. Two Sith stood guard at the doorway, and Nocturne'a showed the other reason she was the top assassin in her class. Neither guard knew what hit them, as Nocturne'a's saber pierced the heart of one and she simultaneously snapped the neck of the other. HK's optics brightened appreciatively. Such a well-executed double kill deserved praise, and he made a note to say so once they were away from the station.

Nocturne'a's commlink chirped softly, and she nodded to Ashara. The Togruta pressed a button on her small 'pad. The floor underneath them trembled as several explosions shook the station. Quickly, the trio moved to the cell. A man wearing the traditional garb of a Jedi was suspended in a containment field, an expression of agony on his face. _So this is Revan,_ Nocturne'a thought. There was no time to stand around, however, and the Sith motioned to her apprentice. Ashara inspected the control panel and hurriedly input the sequence to deactivate the containment field.

Revan dropped to the ground and would have collapsed had Nocturne'a not caught him. Brown eyes blinked open and focused on her glowing-red ones momentarily before sliding shut again. Nocturne'a grimaced and pulled Revan's unconscious form over her shoulder, turning towards the landing pad as the _Fury_ set down. _Right on time,_ she thought as they ran to the ship. She would have to remember to commend the others later. "Let's go!" she called as soon as they were inside. "Hold on!" Andronikos' voice called from the cockpit. The ramp raised and the ship blasted off.

Nocturne'a moved to the medical bay and gently set Revan down on the bed. She could sense the link to the Emperor, a parasitic bond that drew on Revan's very presence in the Force. While severing it would be a _simple_ thing, it would not be easy, not for her. Best get to it, she thought. "Talos, I need you in here, now," she called. The IRS agent quickly joined her. "My lord?" he asked.

"He's going to need medical attention," the Sith said. "But first I have to break the Emperor's hold on him. As soon as I give the word, you get to work."

Talos nodded. "Of course, my lord," he said.

Nocturne'a took a deep breath and called on the Force. She formed a 'blade' of thought, and prepared what was known as the Assassin's Shelter. It was the deepest form of stealth that was ever taught, designed to hide one's presence from the most powerful of Force-users. She could only hope it would be sufficient to hide Revan (and herself) from the Emperor. In a single fluid movement, she brought the 'blade' down, severing the parasitic connection, and snapped the Shelter over the both of them.

Revan's back arched up off the bed and he gave a cry of pain before slumping back down and lying still. Nocturne'a motioned to Talos and the IRS agent moved forward, med scanner in hand. Nocturne'a shivered as she felt a terrible presence brush over them, seeking. But the presence passed and the Sith breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't over, of course, and she would have to keep the Shelter active for some time, but for the moment they were safe.

Nocturne'a turned to Talos. "Report," she said. The IRS agent didn't look up from his work as he spoke. "There doesn't seem to be too much physical damage, though he bears the signs of fairly recent torture, but his brainwaves seem to be reacting as if he were in constant pain. I gave him a mild sedative, but there isn't much else I can do."

Nocturne'a sighed. She'd been afraid of that. Revan's connection to the Force had been wounded and his instinctive reaching for it was causing him pain, like fire on raw nerves. "Tell Andronikos to head for Ilum," she said. "We should be safe there for now. And send HK in here. He needs to know what's going on." Talos nodded and left the medbay.

Nocturne'a looked down at Revan's unconscious form. Unfortunately, there was little she could do either. Had she been trained in Sith Sorcery, she might have been able to heal the damage, but her skills lay elsewhere. All she could do was feed him Force-energy and hope that his body would be able to heal on its own. She heard the clanking of metal on metal as HK approached. She quickly outlined the situation, and explained what she was going to do.

"Statement: I will stand guard," HK said in a tone that brooked no refusal. Nocturne'a shrugged. "As you will," she replied. She sank to her knees, dropping into the meditation position, and opened herself to the Force once more, focusing it on the unconscious Jedi beside her.

\---

_To be continued..._


	6. Chapter Five: Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of Revan and Meetra's dialog in this chapter come directly from the Maelstrom Prison flashpoint.

Revan rose towards consciousness slowly. The very first thing he noticed was that the agony of the Emperor's link to him was gone, as was the link itself. (A part of him felt he should panic about that for some reason, but he didn't have enough energy to do so.) Reaching for the Force still hurt like salt in a wound, but it was no longer the torment it had been. The next thing he noticed was the feeling of Force-energy pouring into him, trying to replace what he had lost. Someone was clumsily encouraging him to heal, though not actually doing any healing.

He opened his senses a little further, trying to get a physical sense of where he was. He was lying on a soft surface - a bed, maybe? - and there was a warm covering draped over him. Pulling together what strength he could, he forced his eyes open. Sure enough, he was lying on a bed. He glanced around. There was little in the way of ornamentation in the room, and his eyes were drawn to the other two occupants. One was, rather surprisingly, HK-47, who stood guard near the door. But it was the other figure that caught and held his gaze. The young Sith Pureblood was kneeling on the floor of the room, her eyes closed and a look of fierce concentration on her face. Revan blinked, startled, as he realized the energy pouring into him was coming from her. She didn't feel like a Jedi, but there was very little darkness in her aura.

"Ahem," Revan coughed to get the attention of the others. HK's optics brightened. "Statement: It is good to see you awake, Master," he said. "I was beginning to wonder if your processor was damaged beyond repair."

Revan's gaze stayed locked on the young Sith as she opened her eyes and got to her feet. The stream of energy lessened very slightly. "HK's right," she said softly. "I'd hoped that the energy would be enough for you to start healing on your own, since I am unable to do it myself."

"Who are you? What did you do to me?" Revan asked warily, controlling the urge to flinch away as the Sith moved closer and helped him sit up. She moved away quickly, much to Revan's relief, and inclined her head. "My name is Nocturne'a Starshadow," she said. "I got you out of the Maelstrom Prison and severed the Emperor's parasitic hold on you. I'm shielding you from him."

"Damn it!" Revan cursed, struggling to sit up further. "You've ruined everything! There's nothing to restrain him now!"

Nocturne'a blinked. "What are you talking about? _You_ were the one being restrained." The Sith crossed her arms. "The spirit of your Jedi friend Meetra Surik was so worried about what the Emperor was doing to you that she enlisted _my_ help to free you."

Those words stopped Revan cold. "What?" he asked. As if in response to his question, an eerie blue glow filled the room, and both felt the presence of a familiar Force-spirit. Meetra shimmered into view, her gaze fixed on Revan.

_"Your strength was failing,"_ the spirit said. _"You had to be freed, before all was lost."_

Revan frowned. "You should be one with the Force," he murmured. "Finally at peace."

Meetra shook her head sadly. _"No peace while you suffer,"_ she replied. _"The Emperor was drowning you in black waters."_

Revan flinched. "He wanted me to be Darth Revan again," he admitted. "To serve him as I once did."

Nocturne'a watched the interaction with a mostly neutral expression, though she raised an eyebrow at Revan's last statement. "The Emperor was the reason you turned Sith?" she asked. "That's not in the history records."

Revan glanced at her. "I had always wondered why the Mandalorians attacked the Republic when they did. Mandalore the Ultimate's last words gave me a clue," he said. "He spoke of a red-skinned Sith - a pureblood like you - who convinced him to gather his forces and strike. I led my allies to the Galaxy's edge to find the truth and destroy the Emperor. We didn't understand his true power. I lost everything, betrayed from within."

Nocturne'a tilted her head to one side thoughtfully. "Not everything," she said, gesturing to the Exile. "You still have her."

Revan met the spirit's gaze again and Nocturne'a made a decision. "I'll leave you alone for now," the Sith said. "If you need me, I won't be far. Just poke the energy stream." She bowed respectfully to them and left the room, though she didn't cut off the flow of Force-energy. It wasn't that much of a drain on her, and she knew that until he was healed enough to properly draw on the Force again, Revan would need her power to take the place of his own reserves.

Meetra and Revan watched her go. "She's not a Jedi," Revan murmured. Meetra shook her head. _"No. I tried to contact several Jedi, but none would listen. Not even Grand Master Satele Shan."_

Revan started slightly at the name. _Satele Shan? She must be my descendent,_ he mused. _Mine and Bastila's. Three hundred years..._ he quickly ran a few mental calculations. _That would make her at least my great great granddaughter, probably further removed than that._

He ruminated for a few moments on how he had missed the growth of his family, before shaking himself out of his thoughts and refocusing on Meetra. "So you recruited a Sith?" he asked in slight disbelief. "Why would a Sith help rescue me? Not out of altruism, certainly."

_"That is something she must tell you,"_ Meetra replied cryptically. _"But I suggest you consider what she has to say carefully."_

"I will," Revan promised. "And I will finish what we started. Thank you, old friend." He bowed as best he could from his half-prone position. Meetra smiled and bowed back before fading away.

Revan sighed and took stock of himself. Whatever physical injuries he'd incurred had been expertly tended to, and for someone kept alive only by Sith Alchemy, his body seemed to be in pretty good shape overall. He turned his attention inward, carefully examining the stream of Force-energy that was still flowing into him. There were hints of darkness in it, but none of the corrosiveness that he associated with the dark side.

Revan glanced at HK-47. "What do you think of her, HK?" he asked.

"Observation: Lord Nocturne'a seems very unlike most organics - Sith or otherwise - that I have encountered," the droid replied. "While she has a concern for life that is somewhat disappointing, her overall skills have proved more than competent. During your rescue, she executed a double kill that was very impressive. In fact, she reminds me quite a bit of you, Master."

Revan raised his eyebrows. From HK-47, those words were quite the compliment. "She's certainly not like other Sith," Revan agreed. _I might as well find out what she wants from me,_ he thought.

\---

_To be continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how well I managed to keep Revan in character, but I did my best. And he's still woozy, so I'll blame that.


	7. Chapter Six: Explanations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since all we are told in canon about the Sith Inquisitor's backstory is that she was a slave, the expansion of that backstory here is mine. For the Sith Language translations, I used this translator: http://www.starsidergalaxy.com/sith/

Taking a deep breath, Revan did as Nocturne'a had suggested earlier and poked at the energy stream. Moments later, the door opened and Nocturne'a walked through. "You called?" she asked.

Revan nodded. "It's time we got down to business," he said. Nocturne'a nodded and sat down in the chair.

"I'll do us both a favor and be blunt," Revan said. "Sith don't do things out of altruism, which means you must want something in return for rescuing me. What is it?"

Nocturne'a didn't pretend to be surprised or offended by Revan's words. Instead, she spoke just as bluntly. "I want your help," she replied.

Revan raised his eyebrows. "I'm not going to betray the Republic for you any more than I would have for the Emperor," he said pointedly.

Nocturne'a snorted. "I wasn't going to ask you to. Give me some credit. Somewhat desperate I may be, but stupid I am certainly not. No, what I want your help with is a matter of Sith internal politics."

Revan frowned. "You want me to help you kill your master," he inferred. Nocturne'a sighed. "Sort of," she replied. "It's a bit complicated."

"I'm listening," the Jedi told her. Nocturne'a grimaced, but told her story. "I grew up in the slave pens," she began. "When my Force abilities started showing, I was selected as part a group of slaves that were slated for transport to Korriban. We were to be used as targets for the Sith students to practice against, I suspect. Then Lord Zash ordered that those of us with the most potential be granted the chance to become Sith ourselves. She needed an apprentice with 'lowly origins,' as she put it. The details of the trials aren't important, suffice to say that I was the one who passed them, and I...acquired Khem Val in the process."

"What is he?" Revan interrupted, curious about the huge creature that followed Nocturne'a like a shadow. "I don't know his species."

"Khem is a Dashade," Nocturne'a explained. "He was the servant of Tulak Hord, placed in cryostasis before Hord's death. Part of my trial was to awaken and defeat him. Apparently, this formed a bond between us, and he follows me. Of course, I had to prove myself worthy of his regard, and I did. Anyway, I passed the trials and became Zash's apprentice." Nocturne'a told her story, how she had gone to the Dark Temple on Dromund Kass and met the spirit of her ancestor, how she had claimed her heritage. She explained Zash's ritual and how it had gone awry, trapping Zash's spirit in Khem's body.

"Zash is gone now, Khem's body is his own. Anyway, Zash's master, Darth Thanaton, took an interest in me, and set me to continue Zash's work. He sent me into the tomb of Darth Andru to claim his writings. Andru's spirit was not pleased about my intrusion and tried to kill me, but my ancestor intervened." Nocturne'a spoke of her encounter with Ergast, of learning the Force Walk ritual. "I choose to make pacts with the spirits as opposed to binding them. Having a bunch of angry Sith spirits bound to me never struck me as a good idea."

She told of returning to Thanaton, of his betrayal and her near death. Of how her link to the spirits had saved her, and her plan to find more. "I didn't realize at the time that it was not a good idea to bind more than one spirit at a time," she continued, telling of her second confrontation with Thanaton, and the results of that. She quickly skimmed over her trips to Belsavis and Voss, simply saying that she had regained control and had been healed. "So now I have protection from Thanaton's rituals," she concluded.

"Alright, but what does this have to do with me?" Revan asked.

"While the rituals can no longer harm me, Thanaton still out-powers me by a considerable amount. I cannot defeat him right now," the Sith assassin said.

"So, you want me to - what? - go with you when you face this Thanaton?"

Nocturne'a snorted again. "That would be a wonderful way to get us both killed. No, what I want you to do is teach me. You can use the Force in Balance, both light and dark. Meetra told me I have the potential to do the same, that I just needed a teacher. So, that's where you come in. Teach me to use the Force in Balance so I can defeat Thanaton."

"Hmm," Revan said thoughtfully. "Say I do agree to this, then what happens?"

"You finish healing, then teach me what I need to know. After I've learned what I need, I will take you and HK to the neutral planet of your choice and we part ways. You can go back to the Republic," Nocturne'a replied.

"And if I don't agree to teach you, what then?"

Nocturne'a sighed. "You finish healing, then I take you and HK to the neutral planet of your choice and we part ways. And I try to find another way to defeat Thanaton."

"You'd let me go regardless of whether or not I help you?" There was surprise and skepticism in Revan's voice.

Nocturne'a gave him a wry smile. "Even if you don't help me, I figure your sudden reappearance will distract Thanaton and the rest of the Dark Council long enough for me to come up with another plan."

Revan was silent for several seconds. "I have to think about this," he said finally. Nocturne'a shrugged. "Fair enough," she replied. "You have to finish healing before anything else anyway."

The Sith assassin got up to leave but Revan called after her. "Wait a moment."

Nocturne'a stopped and looked back inquisitively. "Yes?"

"Where are we?" Revan asked. Nocturne'a smiled. "My former master, Zash, had secret caches of artifacts scattered around the Galaxy. I still haven't found all of them. Anyway, some of those caches also served as safe houses, and this is one of them. After I moved all the artifacts to a different cache, I renovated the place, figuring I might need somewhere to hide someday. We're in a tapped out crystal mine on Ilum. All the fighting is on the other side of the planet, so we're safe here."

Revan blinked. "I see," he said. Nocturne'a smiled faintly at him, then left the room, leaving him alone with HK. Revan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, HK, what do you think?" he asked, looking over at the droid.

HK whirred for a moment. "Statement: Lord Nocturne'a _did_ help rescue you, master," the droid pointed out. Revan nodded. "She did," he agreed.

Shifting so he was a bit more comfortable, Revan closed his eyes and made an attempt to meditate. Actively reaching for the Force was painful, so he avoided that, letting it flow passively over him instead. He could sense a shimmering shield hovering over him, stronger and more finely-woven than he'd ever encountered before. _So that's what she meant when she said she's shielding me,_ he mused. He recalled something about a technique that assassins were taught, to use the Force in lieu of a stealth field generator, and he suspected this was some variation of that.

Revan could also clearly sense the steady stream of energy pouring into him from Nocturne'a, working to fill the reserves the Emperor had drained away. Examining the stream closer, he was more than a little startled by what he found. This Sith was literally sharing her life-force with him. The alchemy that had been forcibly keeping him alive had changed him, and in its absence, his body was struggling to re-accustom itself to the use of ordinary life-force. And since he didn't have much of that energy of his own right now, Nocturne'a was letting him use her life-energy to survive.

Was Nocturne'a aware of how vulnerable this made her? _Possibly not,_ Revan reflected, _after all, she said she wasn't trained in Sith Sorcery, so she might not know the full impact of her actions._ Where the shield was formed so well as to be the work of a master, this healing attempt was extremely clumsy. _At least the link is temporary,_ he thought. _Somehow I doubt she'd be too happy if she found out she'd bound us together permanently._ He realized he could use the link to get a glimpse into the Sith's mind, to be certain of her motives. He wouldn't go far, and he certainly wouldn't try to influence anything, but he needed to be sure before he could help her. He'd been betrayed one too many times to do otherwise.

There was almost no resistance to Revan's careful probe. The link let him past most of Nocturne'a's impressive conscious mental shielding, and he was only stopped from entering her mind fully by the instinctive shields that all Force-sensitives had. There was a momentary sense of surprise, as the Sith sensed and recognized the foreign presence in her mind. Revan waited, curious as to what Nocturne'a would do. He knew she would probably shove him out, but he'd gotten enough of a feel for her that he wouldn't fight it. But then, to his very great surprise, the shields dropped, leaving Nocturne'a's mind bare before him. The fact that she - a Sith - was _trusting_ him enough to open her mind to him, trusting that he wouldn't take advantage of her was mind-boggling.

_~Meetra gave the impression that you could be trusted,~_ Nocturne'a's mental voice seemed to tremble very faintly. _~Was she wrong?~_

_~No,~_ Revan said after a moment. _~She wasn't wrong. I won't hurt you.~_

Revan felt the Sith's relief, felt the trembling ease. _~Then look as you will,~_ Nocturne'a told him. _~I have nothing to hide.~_ She fell silent then, waiting. Revan looked, gently examining the Sith's spirit. Several of Nocturne'a's memories, defining points in her life, jumped out at him.

_\--she is three years old and annoyed, looking up at Mother. The older Sith is very beautiful, despite the slave collar and worn clothing, the delicate bone spurs and facial ridges are the markings of a true pureblood. Her own bone spurs and ridges haven't fully come in yet, but she heard the slavemaster speaking to Mother about how clear her blood would show and how valuable she would be. Right now, however, the crimson skin of her face is marred by a dark bruise and split lip. Mother sighs as she tends to the injuries. "J'us galeji kaer atranimas th'karza kais sis, woyunoks," she says, the words of the ancient Sith language lilting and fluid. {You can't keep picking fights like this, little one.}_

_Mother's hands are warm as she gently brushes the hair back from her face. "Veekij ax veliau j'us valia atranka zo karza su kaiefas su gana sieka kia tvarka tu'iea mirtis. Nu dary nenx noret kia ziur j'us mrias mazo veek." The older woman's voice is very serious. {Sooner or later you'll pick a fight with someone who has enough rank to order your death. I don't want to see you die so soon.}_

_She frowns. "Tau visitija j'us zo blogas telaasias, Mot'na," she protests. {They called you a miserable whore, Mama.} She crosses her arms. "Tau uzgaule j'us gvildij Jaarvek meo zo Tsis'Jari ir j'us aras zo grotthu." {They insult you because Father was a Sith Lord and you are a slave.}_

_"Alga nie dvasi kia edoui th'redis nuyak dukra," Mother says. {Pay no mind to those words, my daughter.}_ _Mother smooths her hair back. "J'us galez aprani zo itsu dabar, kad tu'iea kraujas kash anas iv tave beze midwanas iv th'ari ant abid th'garthaz," Mother sounds so certain, she can't help but nod. {You may wear a chain now, but your blood is that of the most powerful of lords - on both sides.}_

_"Antai **valia** tapti' zo diena tikazi j'us valia buti won, nuyak berniuk. Tave midwan is tu'iea kraujas ir is tu'iea vele valia fasona tikra iv zhol," Mother whispers, hugging her tight. {There **will** come a day when you will be free, my child. The power in your blood and in your soul will ensure it.} She returns the hug, not really understanding the words, but taking them to heart.-- _

_\--she is six years old and angry, standing on the auction block. The collar, a heavy metal thing that she **hates** is tight around her neck. She looks back at Mother, knowing somehow that this is the last time she will ever see her. She envies the sad calm on the older Sith's face. Anger boils inside her, seeking an outlet, any outlet. She glares out at the people who stand in front of the block, who would buy her. They would presume to **own** her, and that makes her tremble with rage. But she will be patient, wait until the time is right. _ Nu **valia** buti won, _she thinks, a silent promise. {_ I **will** be free. _} --_

_\--she is nine and in shock, staring at the remains of the durasteel cuffs that had moments before been locked on her wrists. She looks up at the slavemaster, expecting punishment, but she senses no anger from him, and there is a look of contemplation on his face. He reaches down and scoops up the remains of the cuffs. "This will be our little secret, Runt," he says, turning the mangled metal over in his hands. "Learn to control yourself and you might just go far." He pulls out a new pair of cuffs and she doesn't resist as he clamps them around her wrists.--_

_\--she is sixteen and frustrated, controlling and hiding her power - the Force - has become harder as she grows up. She practices when she has privacy, levitating rocks and forming sparks that dance between her fingers. She wants a teacher - she is Sith, the Force is her birthright, why won't they let her be open with her skills? - but she knows the outcome won't be good if she reveals her true power. The slavemaster who encouraged her so many years ago to hide it was right. Other slaves who show signs of power are either killed outright or taken away and are never seen again. She'd like to think that those who vanish are given training and become powerful, but she knows better.--_

_\--she is eighteen and terrified, trying to keep her breathing calm as the Sith Lord - and not just any Sith Lord, but the Emperor's Wrath himself, Lord Scourge - circles her. Her neck aches where the slave collar has delivered several shocks. The broken and charred remains of the overseer who would have raped her still smolder in the corner of the courtyard. His final screams still echo in her ears. The air is cold against her bare skin, the torn cloth of her tunic shifting in the wind. She resists the urge to cover herself, not knowing how Lord Scourge will react. She can sense nothing from him and she does not want to anger him. Her eyes are cast down as she waits._

_There is the rustling noise of shifting fabric, then a warm cloak is draped over her shoulders. She shivers faintly; Lord Scourge's touch is surprisingly gentle, but she can feel the power it it. Her hands automatically move to pull the cloak close around her. "Mada sso nun," Scourge orders. {Look at me.}_

_At the sound of the words spoken in ancient Sith, a language she has not heard in twelve years, her head snaps up, squarely meeting the Sith Lord's gaze. Scourge's eyes are the same glowing-red color as her own. His facial ridges are far more pronounced then hers, and instead of the bone spurs, he sports the tendrils that are common to male purebloods. She shivers again, not sure why this time. True, Scourge is a very well-built male, and the aura of power makes him attractive, but it is not lust she feels. No, this is something different. Before she can identify the feeling, Scourge speaks again. "J'us zinot midwan," he says. {You have power.}_

_It is not a question, but she nods anyway. "Kuris tyres j'us kia elgtis zhol tave Qy'sik?" Scourge asks. {Who taught you to use the Force?}_

_She shakes her head helplessly. "Nie wo," she replies. {No one.} At Scourge's raised eyebrow, she hurriedly continues. "Nu protos zhol del ant nuyak savas." {I figured it out on my own.}_

_"Ant tu'iea savas?" Scourge muses. {On your own?}_

_She nods again. Scourge continues to gaze at her and she tries not to fidget. "Itik atgal kia tu'iea savaka, panele," he says gruffly. {Get back to your work, girl.}_

_She glances quickly at the still-smoking remains of the overseer. Scourge waves a hand carelessly. "Nu valia spresti su anas," he assures her. {I will deal with that.}_

_She doesn't move and Scourge shakes his head. "That overseer should have known better. He got what he deserved. You will not be punished."_

_The switch to Basic tells her that the strange audience is over. She sketches a quick bow and moves to the door into the complex. Then she glances back. "Dazek j'us, nuyak ari," she says quietly. {Thank you, my lord.}_

_Scourge smiles grimly for a moment before turning away. She hurries back to her duties.--_

_\--she is nineteen and tense, sitting on a shuttle with several other slaves. She can sense the Force in them all. The ship's destination is Korriban, but she and the other passengers of this transport are not to be target practice for the acolytes as those of previous ones were. She has heard the whispers, that for some reason Lord Zash wants her next apprentice to come from the slave pens. A part of her wonders if Lord Scourge is the reason she is on this transport. Did he recommend that she be given this opportunity? Or is the Force doing this on its own? She may never know. But as the ship touches down, she decides it doesn't matter. This is her chance for freedom, and she will **not** let it pass her by.-- _

_\--she is twenty and confused, having presented herself for inspection as ordered. She watches her master, Darth Zash, pace back and forth in front of her. She is wearing the new set of armor Zash ordered for her. It has been made exactly to her measurements; she marvels at the lightness and flexibility of it, the cortosis-weave fabric resists even lightsaber blows. The decoration is elegant, and she likes the clean smooth lines and curves. She can't even fathom how much the whole outfit cost, and she wonders why her master did this. It's not like Zash to give gifts._

_Zash stops in front of her and, to her utter shock, carefully reaches out and pins her hair back from her face so her ridges are a little more visible. "There, much better," Zash says, smiling._

_"Master?" she asks, puzzled. "What's going on?"_

_"What's going on, my dear apprentice, is that later today you are going to be presented to the Emperor, and you need to look your best," Zash replies. Her jaw drops open. "What?" she blurts. Zash's expression sobers. "The Emperor has ordered that all of the apprentices in the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge be presented to him. Since you are one of these, you must represent us well."_

_She swallows hard. "It's a tremendous honor," she manages to say._

_"Indeed," Zash says approvingly. "Well, Apprentice, I can give you no more advice. Good luck."_

_Two hours later, she kneels alongside about twenty other apprentices, a mixture of human and Sith purebloods, in a strange room. The only light is an eerie purple glow that comes from strange plants sitting in pots by the walls. It is utterly silent here, even her breathing and that of her fellows makes no sound. A door opens and Lord Scourge enters. He surveys the kneeling Sith expressionlessly. She glances up and meets his gaze momentarily. Something flickers in Scourge's eyes, but before she can react, the door opens again. A figure in white robes with red accents enters, and she abruptly drops her eyes to the ground once more._

_"These are the newest apprentices?" The voice is cold and something about it sends a frisson of terror down her spine. "Yes, my Emperor," the submissive tone in Scourge's voice makes the terror worse._

_An irresistible compulsion makes her head rise and she looks upon the Emperor; the other apprentices are doing the same. From a purely physical standpoint, the human male isn't overly impressive. He is tall and fair, rather ordinary. Only his eyes hint at the truth. And the sense of void around him, as though his very presence devours everything around it. She is terrified and repulsed beyond measure. The Emperor examines each apprentice in turn, as if he is looking for something. She watches as he reaches out and touches the foreheads of three of the humans. Each one gasps and collapses, unconscious. She freezes, unable even to breathe when his eyes meet hers. The irises are glowing gold rimmed in crimson, a weighing gaze that pierces her very soul. She knows that he can sense her feelings and thoughts, but he doesn't care. To him, she is but a speck, not at all important. When he moves on, all she can think is that she has never been more thankful to be overlooked._

_The Emperor speaks softly with Lord Scourge for a few moments, then leaves with the same lack of fanfare that his entrance had. Lord Scourge dismisses the apprentices who are still conscious, but it isn't until she is back outside the citadel, the wind and rain of the ever present storms lashing at her that she finally relaxes. She finds a covered bench and sinks down onto it. She never wants to be in the Emperor's presence again, ever.--_

Revan pulled back, disentangling his thoughts from Nocturne'a's memory stream. He could understand her, now, at least to some extent. Her motivations were honest, at least. _~So you know what the Emperor is,~_ he commented. Nocturne'a's response was the mental equivalent of a nod and a grimace. _~Yes,~_ she replied. _~I have been in his presence. I never want to repeat the experience.~_

Revan couldn't blame her, really. He didn't particularly want to go back into the Emperor's presence either. He had a few other ideas about how to end the war. But that was neither here nor there, he supposed. What was important was the immediate future, and his decision was made. _~I will help you, Nocturne'a Starshadow,~_ he said. _~I will teach you to use the Force in Balance so you can defeat your enemy.~_

_~Thank you, Lord Revan,~_ Nocturne'a's mental voice was trembling again, this time with relief. The power of the emotion that flowed from Nocturne'a startled Revan a little. He hadn't quite realized just how desperate she had been.

_~You're welcome.~_ Revan replied. Then a jolt of pain stabbed between his eyes and he winced. Abruptly he got a sense of apology and self-recrimination from Nocturne'a. _~I'm an idiot,~_ she murmured. _~You should be resting and healing, and here I am shoving memories and emotions through the Force at you. That certainly isn't helping.~_

Before Revan could respond, he felt himself gently pushed out of Nocturne'a's mind. The stream of energy continued as before, but the shields surrounding it were tighter, preventing any more of the Sith's emotions from leaking through. Revan's own thoughts were starting to go fuzzy, and he realized that Nocturne'a was right. He needed to rest and heal. His last thought before he fell into sleep was that the next few weeks were going to be very interesting.

\---

_To be continued..._


	8. Chapter Seven: Lessons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I am taking a few liberties with the whole 'Force in Balance' thing, but if you've played through the SWTOR Flashpoint: The Foundry, you'll see that I'm not taking very many.

"Tell me about yourself."

Nocturne'a blinked, startled by Revan's request. "What do you mean?" she asked, genuinely confused. "You've been in my head, you know about me."

Revan shook his head. "I know that you are honest, and a good person at heart, and you've shown me some of your experiences, but that doesn't actually tell me much about you. If I'm going to teach you, I need to know you."

Nocturne'a rubbed the back of her neck a little self-consciously. None of her Sith masters had ever wanted to get to know her. _Maybe it's a Jedi thing,_ she thought. Jedi thing or no, Revan was the teacher and she the student, so what he said went, she supposed. "Well, I don't actually know that much about my parents, only that my mother was a slave and my father a lord. I don't even know their names," she shook her head. "I started showing some signs of Force-sensitivity pretty early, now I think on it, the better reflexes, the subtle precognition, that sort of thing. But it really exploded when I was nine."

"When you tore those stun cuffs to pieces," Revan said, thinking of the memory. The Sith nodded. "The overseer told me to keep the power hidden, and he was right. Things tended not to end well for slaves who showed Force-power," she grimaced before continuing. "It was hard, but I managed. It wasn't until I was eighteen and one of the guards decided that to try to force himself on me that things got messy. I thought I was going to be killed, or sold as a plaything at the very least."

"But Lord Scourge intervened," Revan's voice seemed puzzled, and Nocturne'a remembered that Scourge had been the one to foil Revan's plot against the Emperor. Filing that away for later, Nocturne'a nodded. "He did. I've never met such a strange person," she admitted. "There was something about him..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "You and Lord Scourge have history, don't you?"

Revan nodded, but didn't elaborate. Instead, he changed the subject. "If you hadn't been pushed on to this path, if you hadn't become an assassin, what would you have chosen to be?" The tone of Revan's voice as he spoke was intense, and Nocturne'a sensed that there was something important about her answer to this question. She thought about it for a bit.

"Probably an archeologist," Nocturne'a finally said. "The past has always fascinated me. Maybe it's why I have such a strong connection to the dead. Where we came from, how we got to where we are now, those are the questions I would have loved to try to find an answer to."

"And what will you do once you have defeated your enemy?"

Nocturne'a grimaced faintly. "Considering Thanaton is a member of the Dark Council, once I kill him, I'll probably be...ah... _asked_ to take his place. Not a position I've ever particularly coveted."

Revan laughed. "A powerful Sith saying she doesn't want to be on the Dark Council. Now that's not something I've heard before, and I doubt I'll hear it again any time soon."

Nocturne'a frowned at him. "I suppose being the head of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge will be an interesting job, if nothing else."

"Indeed," Revan agreed. He didn't ask what being the head of a Sphere actually meant, so Nocturne'a supposed he must have learned about them somewhere.

\---

The several weeks that it took for Revan to heal passed fairly quickly. He got to know most of Nocturne'a's little crew fairly well, with the notable exceptions of Andronikos Revel and Xalek. The pilot was rarely at the safe house, and the Kaleesh showed little interest in him. He was rarely around, both he and Andronikos seemed to be off on missions most of the time. He did note that when Xalek was around, he seemed to get on well with HK-47. Revan couldn't help but get a little worried about what results that friendship might produce.

The rest of Nocturne'a's crew were all quite curious about Revan, it seemed, and was her apprentice Ashara Zavros who first worked up the courage to come visit him.

The young Togruta had only kind words to say of her master, and her feelings about the Jedi were mixed. Revan decided not to interfere, that it wasn't really his business to try and shift Ashara's loyalties. If he could shift Nocturne'a's, her crew would follow her lead.

The Imperial Reclamation Service agent Talos Drelik seemed to be in awe of Revan, wanting to badger him with questions about what life was like three hundred years ago. He'd tried to do the same with HK, until the droid had gotten annoyed and threatened him. Revan was willing to answer most of the questions, since they didn't involve Republic secrets.

While Khem Val almost never strayed from Nocturne'a's side, he was usually quiet, rarely speaking to anyone. He didn't seem all that interested in Revan, aside from making sure that he was no threat to Nocturne'a. Then there was Treek, the Ewok mercenary. Like Talos, she was eager to listen to his stories, but she seemed more interested in his adventures than what his daily life had been like.

Altogether, it was a rather strange group of beings that this Sith had collected, but no stranger than the group Revan had worked with during the hunt for the Star Forge. Nocturne'a certainly paid no heed to the Empire's policies about aliens, and she didn't treat her crew as slaves.

Nocturne'a was quite forthcoming with news about how the war was going, and she was bluntly honest about it as well. By asking careful questions, Revan was able to gain quite a bit of insight into the young Sith's opinions. He got the feeling that she didn't much care for the war. True, she had little respect for the Republic and the Jedi as a whole, but some of the policies and actions had impressed her, as had a few individuals. He highly doubted that he could get her to defect and join the Republic, but he might be able to convince her to help him work towards ending the war.

What struck Revan as truly odd about Nocturne'a was that she seemed to have no real personal ambition beyond defeating that enemy of hers and protecting her people. Perhaps he could use that as an opportunity later on, he mused. If nothing else, having a Dark Council member who was not opposed to peace would be useful.

\---

Nocturne'a knelt on the floor, readying herself for meditation. Revan sat across from the Sith, watching her. "Your emotions are powerful," he commented, "but the amount of control you have over them is phenomenal. I don't think I've seen more than a handful of Jedi who can claim that level of control."

Nocturne'a smiled faintly. "Thanks, I think," she said. "Control over one's emotions is necessary for an assassin," she continued. "Especially if one is sent to kill another Force-Sensitive. If your target can pick up on your emotions, he can find you, and thus prepare to guard himself against you."

Revan nodded thoughtfully. "Tell me about your training," he said. Nocturne'a shrugged. "There's not much to tell. I showed an aptitude for stealth and precision and misdirection. Most of my fellow apprentices - those who survived the initial training, that is - went on to study Sith Sorcery. I have a friend...more of an ally really, since Sith don't actually have friends, as such - anyway, I know someone who can call down an extremely powerful lightning storm. When I worked with her on Alderaan, she turned more than one Killik hive to glass from over 30 meters away. But she can't sneak up on a blind and deaf droid. I, on the other hand, have trouble getting my lightning to go further than 10 meters, but can sneak up on some of the most powerful beings in the galaxy."

"Hmm..." Revan said thoughtfully. Then he shook his head. "To business, then. Now remember, I have never attempted to teach this technique to anyone before." He paused for a moment, reordering his thoughts before continuing. "The two sides of the Force are more closely intertwined with each other than either the Jedi or the Sith will ever admit. To draw on both the light and dark sides for strength is to balance on the knife-edge between them. When you first do this, the light and dark will clash within you, fighting for supremacy. You will have to contain that fight, not letting either side win. It won't be easy, so don't be discouraged if you fail at first."

Nocturne'a nodded, listening intently to Revan's words. At his direction, she opened herself to the Force and looked at him, watching as he called on the power. Her brow furrowed as she attempted to follow his example. The Force swirled over her, and she felt like a leaf in a hurricane; she scrambled for an anchor, trying desperately to hold on to her sense of 'self.' The world went grey, threatening to black out completely. Then another presence was there, shielding her from the storm. Nocturne'a opened her eyes to find Revan's hands holding her shoulders, steadying her physically, even as his Force-presence steadied hers. There was a concerned look on his face. The young Sith grimaced. "I take it that wasn't supposed to happen?" she guessed.

Revan shook his head. "No." He let go of Nocturne'a's shoulders when he was sure she wasn't going to fall and sat back. "You don't do anything by halves, do you?"

Nocturne'a shrugged. "I suppose not." She brushed her hair out of her face. "I don't have time to do things by halves. Especially things like this. I have to learn it now and fast."

Revan nodded. "Then we try again. Anchor yourself better this time. Remember, it's not like the floating meditation. You're calling the Force to you, not the other way around."

Nocturne'a nodded and took a deep breath. She focused, first sending her thoughts 'down' in order to ground herself. Then she opened her mind to the Force once more, attempting to reach for both the cool serenity of the light and the hot chaos of the dark. The two sides met and clashed, seething and writhing as they fought. They sparked and boiled over each other, the pale blue and dark crimson refusing to blend. It was like trying to hold the repelling poles of two magnets together. For a single moment, Nocturne'a could feel the immense potential that a balance between the two sides held, then her control slipped and the power burst apart.

The Sith opened her eyes, expecting to see some physical sign of the clashing forces, but the room was still in its pristine state. She turned her gaze to Revan. "Not bad," he told her. "You're still trying too hard. Don't try to force the power to blend from the start. Make it yours, then blend it. Now try again."

Nocturne'a's face took on a determined expression as she bent to the task. She _would_ master this, no matter what it took.

\---

Standing just out of sight in a doorway, Revan watched Ashara practice with her saber, moving at Nocturne'a's direction. He noted that the Sith was, among other things, a good teacher. As long as Ashara was giving it her best, Nocturne'a did not cruelly rebuke her when she failed. She simply corrected the errors in the Togruta's stance and had her run through the kata again. Her method of correcting was interesting.

"Freeze!" At her master's command, Ashara froze. Nocturne'a stepped forward and altered Ashara's hold on the saber. "You need to tighten your arc here, Ashara," the Sith said. "You're leaving your left side open to attack. Run through it again."

Ashara nodded, her face scrunched up in concentration. She moved through the kata, but soon enough the opening appeared again. "Tighten up!" Nocturne'a said sharply. Ashara pulled the saber in tight, but it quickly drifted off-center once more. This time, Nocturne'a's correction was a little more direct. She swung her own saber into the opening and touched the blade very lightly to Ashara's side. Not enough to cause any permanent damage, but enough to leave the Togruta with a small burn that would take a couple of days to heal. Ashara sucked in a sharp breath, but didn't complain. She did tighten up her saber arc, and made no more mistakes with that kata.

_Pain is an effective teacher,_ Revan mused. Nocturne'a's gaze flicked towards his position for a moment, acknowledging his presence, before returning her full attention to her apprentice. She had Ashara run through the kata a few more times before calling a halt. "You did well," she said.

Ashara grimaced faintly, raising a hand to touch the burn on her side. Nocturne'a didn't comment. Instead, she pulled up her own tunic for Ashara to see. Against the bright crimson of her skin, there was a nasty scar in almost the exact same spot as Ashara's injury. "I had just as much trouble when I was learning that particular maneuver," the Sith admitted. "Almost everyone does. My saber instructor was not as forgiving as I am. Instead of a normal saber, which will simply burn and cauterize the area it touches, he used a special 'training' blade coated with the microscopic barbs from the Pelko bug. True, it didn't have the threat of cutting off a limb, but in some ways it was worse. Your burn will heal in a couple of days. Pelko venom takes weeks to work its way out of the system."

Ashara's grimace, which had transformed into an expression of shock at the sight of the scar marring her master's skin, now faded completely. "May I go, Master?" she asked. Nocturne'a nodded. "You may. Remember, no kolto on that burn. The pain will serve as a reminder to keep your saber arc tight."

Ashara sketched a quick bow before leaving through a door opposite the one Revan was standing behind. Nocturne'a watched her go, then moved to where several training droids were leaning against one wall. She began to input the perimeters for a sparring session. "You can come out now," she said without looking around. "Thank you for not interrupting the lesson."

Revan moved into the room. "I was curious about your training methods," he admitted. Nocturne'a glanced at him for a moment before returning her attention to the droids. "Oh?" she asked. "And now that you've seen them, what do you think?"

"I think you are a good teacher," Revan replied. Nocturne'a made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "Mainstream Sith training has its uses, but not for someone like Ashara," she said. "My instructor, he wasn't inflicting the pain because he enjoyed it; he was doing it to help us survive. The pain was a message - learn fast or die. But Ashara doesn't have to compete for my attention. She doesn't have to enter the cutthroat world of Sith politics, not yet at least."

"But she will," Revan pointed out. Nocturne'a nodded. "I know. And I'm doing my best to prepare her for it."

The training droids powered up and moved to the center of the room. Nocturne'a followed and drew her saber. Revan moved back out of the way and settled in to watch. The droids activated their weapons - some had blades, others blasters - and attacked. Nocturne'a's double-bladed saber hummed to life. Its color was like nothing Revan had ever seen before; neither the blood-red commonly associated with Sith, nor the pale blue or green of the Jedi, not even the more neutral purple that both Sith and Jedi used. Instead, it was a deep blue with a jet black core. _What kind of crystal makes a blade that color?_ he wondered, but now was not the time to ask.

Revan watched Nocturne'a spar against the droids, analyzing her fighting style. It seemed to be primarily Juyo-based, as he had expected, but there were many elements of the other Forms present, especially Makashi. There were hints of Shien and Soresu, and the rare touch of Ataru. Revan had no doubt that Nocturne'a was holding back, unwilling to show the full extent of her abilities to someone who might be an enemy someday. Even so, her skill was impressive.

Eventually, Nocturne'a dealt enough 'killing' blows to end the routine, and the droids powered down. Nocturne'a deactivated her saber. "Impressive," Revan said, "most impressive."

Nocturne'a smiled faintly. "Thank you," she replied.

"Although I'm very certain you were holding back just now," he continued.

"Oh?" The Sith's eyebrows rose. "What makes you think that?"

Revan only shook his head. "Never reveal your true skill in front of someone who might be an enemy. Isn't that part of the Sith teachings? Deception for the sake of self-preservation?"

Nocturne'a inclined her head, but didn't answer. "I don't want to be your enemy," she said after a moment. "I am truly honored by your willingness to teach me, and I do not want to ever have to fight you."

Revan blinked. Of all the the responses Nocturne'a might have made to his words, that wasn't one he had expected.

"You know that if you stay with the Empire, you may someday come up against me," he pointed out. Nocturne'a closed her eyes for a moment. "I can't join the Republic, Revan," she said. "I just can't. I'm not cut out to be a Jedi, and they'd never accept me anyway." Glowing-red eyes opened and met sympathetic brown.

Revan hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "You could be my double agent," he suggested finally.

Nocturne'a blinked at him, startled. "What?"

"Be my double agent," Revan repeated. "Rise in the Empire, become a Dark Council member, but work with me. Help me bring peace to the Galaxy."

Nocturne'a bit her lip, thinking hard. Could she really betray the Empire she'd lived in, served in for nearly all of her life? She did have to admit, in a way, the Empire had betrayed her first. Not Zash's actions, those were to be expected, that was how the Sith hierarchy worked. But Thanaton, trying to kill her for no other reason than that she had been Zash's apprentice and Zash had defied a tradition or two. Now, if he had simply taken her on as an apprentice of his own, that would have been different, but as things stood....

"Alright," she said finally. "I'll work with you, be your double agent. As long as it doesn't put my people in serious danger, that is."

Revan chuckled. "Fair enough."

Nocturne'a smiled slightly. "Guess the Revanite leader was right about following your path in my own way," she mused. "Who would have thought?"

Revan gave the Sith a puzzled look. "Revanite? What's a Revanite?"

"They're a cult on Dromund Kass, dedicated to you. I infiltrated them at the request of a...colleague of my former master. They dedicate themselves to walking your path."

"You're not serious," Revan said incredulously. Nocturne'a nodded. "Oh yes. While I found the that their core beliefs about the nature of the force have some merit, most of the rest of of their beliefs are just ridiculous. They believe that when you came to Dromund Kass, you defeated the Emperor to take his place, and then the Dark Council took the advantage and imprisoned you, thereby taking over."

Revan shook his head. "I'm no prophet," he said. Nocturne'a shrugged. "Did I say you were?" she responded. "No, I'm just telling you that there are actually plenty of people throughout the Empire who would not be opposed to following you."

"And you?" Revan asked her. "Would you follow me if I asked it?"

Nocturne'a tilted her head to the side. "That would depend on just what you asked me to do," she replied slowly. "I'm no seer, but I can tell that the outcome of this war won't be good for anyone. It has to stop."

Revan nodded. "I know. And for this war to end, the Emperor must fall."

Nocturne'a sighed uncomfortably. "I can't help you there. Not directly. But I won't try to stop you." She shook her head. "Of course, if Thanaton kills me this whole discussion will end up moot."

"Does that mean you're ready to practice again?" Revan asked. Nocturne'a nodded. "Yes. Let's go."

_\---_

_To be continued..._


	9. Chapter Eight: Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILER ALERT!!
> 
> Most of the dialogue in the later part of this chapter is taken directly from the end of the final chapter of the Sith Inquisitor storyline in the game. If you haven't played it, you may want to wait on reading this chapter.

Pale blue and dark crimson energies crashed and boiled over each other, blending into a deep purple that swirled and spun at Nocturne'a's command. Her glowing-red eyes were wide with wonder. Revan leaned against the wall, watching her. There was an expression of satisfaction on his face. Three weeks of hard practice had gotten Nocturne'a to this point, and he had to admit he'd never seen a student master such a difficult technique so fast.

Nocturne'a let the energy fade back into the Force and looked around at her teacher. Revan pushed himself off the wall and walked over to the young Sith. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I don't think there's anything else you can learn from me," he said.

Nocturne'a laughed. "I highly doubt that," she replied. Her smile faded slightly. "You're a wonderful teacher, and under other circumstances, I could happily spend years as your student."

Revan sighed. "Maybe after the war is over," he offered. Nocturne'a nodded. "Maybe."

Both knew that the likelihood of both of them surviving to the end of the war and meeting again after was very low, but it was something. Nocturne'a pinned a stray strand of hair back into place. "Well then, I suppose we should work out where you want to me to drop you and HK off," she said quietly.

Revan stroked his chin. He'd been musing on this since he'd begin to teach Nocturne'a, and had made his decision. "Not just yet, I think," he said.

Nocturne'a threw a confused look at him. "What do you mean?" she asked. "You held up your end of the bargain, it's time I held up mine."

Revan inclined his head toward her. "That shows you have honor, which is rather rare among Sith. All the more reason for me to see this through to the end."

Nocturne'a gaped in shock. "Run that one by me again," she said.

Revan smiled. "I may not be able to come with you when you face your enemy, but HK certainly can. And I might be able to provide assistance in another way."

"How so?"

"The link you formed between us, when you healed me," Revan replied. "It's become a fairly well-established Master-Student bond."

The expression on the young Sith's face was completely blank, and Revan shook his head. "I apologize," he said. "I forgot, of course you wouldn't know. When a Jedi takes on a Padawan, a mental link forms between the two. It helps them communicate, among other things, and helps the master guide the student."

Nocturne'a frowned a little. _That would explain the reactions of the people close to some of my targets,_ she thought, but Revan was still talking, so she didn't have time to dwell on the concept. "Once the Padawan reaches Knighthood, the bond is severed."

"Hmm," Nocturne'a said noncommittally. "So you want to stay on the ship while I take HK and go to face Thanaton?"

Revan nodded. "Yes. I will give you what assistance I can from there."

"I don't understand why you would go so far to help me, but I'm grateful for it." Nocturne'a admitted.

_\---in orbit, above Korriban---_

Nocturne'a looked down at the planet where she had trained and learned to control the Force. Despite all the hardships she had suffered here, a part of her still rejoiced at coming 'home.' She sensed Revan walk up behind her. "It's been a long time since I set foot on Korriban," he mused. "I wonder how much it's changed."

Nocturne'a shrugged. "I don't know." She turned away from the viewport and looked at him. "I have one more request of you. If I fail here...if Thanaton kills me, please get my people to safety. Maybe not in the Republic, but somewhere he can't hurt them."

Revan nodded. "Of course. That is something I can do. Are you ready?" The Sith nodded grimly. "As I'll ever be. Let's do this."

She moved to the main room. Her crew was waiting there for her and she locked eyes with each of them. "It's time we ended this."

"We're with you, my lord," Ashara said, while the others nodded. Nocturne'a smiled. "Thank you for your loyalty. Khem, you're with me."

Khem smiled fiercely. " _It is my honor, Little Sith. We will destroy your enemy."_

"The rest of you - if this doesn't go well, Revan has promised to take you somewhere that Thanaton can't reach you. What you do then is up to you."

"Do you want us to avenge you, Master?" Xalek asked. Nocturne'a shook her head, aware that Revan was watching her. "As I said, your future is your own. However, I don't intend to die today."

Andronikos brought the ship in to land, and Nocturne'a made ready to leave. The basic cortosis-weave armor that Zash had given her so long ago was now augmented by several other pieces, including some from she had purchased from the Gree enclave on Illum. The odd creatures crafted armor that was second to none, and she'd had to prove herself to them in order to be allowed to buy it. They'd had her do several strange tasks while wearing a harness that collected data, but she counted the results worth it. The scalene armor deflected lightsaber blows and resisted Force Lighting. Hopefully that, along with the new technique Revan had taught her would be enough.

At 5'4", Nocturne'a knew her slim figure wasn't very intimidating in a physical sense, but she knew how to subtly tweak the emotions of those around her to produce the effect she needed. Whether it was creating an aura of fear that caused even the highest ranking Imperials to give way before her, or muffling herself so deeply in the Force that she could walk by the most powerful of Sith and Jedi without being noticed, Nocturne'a had little need of physical presence to get what she needed.

The ramp lowered and Nocturne'a reached into the Force as her boots crunched on the familiar sands and the acrid desert air filled her lungs. _Thanaton is here,_ she thought. _I sense his presence._

"Let's go. Thanaton is waiting." With Khem Val and HK-47 on her heels and Revan's watchful presence hovering in the back of her mind, Nocturne'a entered the Sith academy and strode through the halls. She'd never been inside the Dark Council chambers, but she knew where they lay. A trio of humans stood in front of the doors, blocking her access.

Nocturne'a vaguely recognized the leader as Darth Enraj. "Stop right there," Enraj declared. "Surrender your weapons."

Nocturne'a gave him a flat look in response. "I have an ancient Sith dual to complete. I will do no such thing."

Enraj crossed his arms. "Thanaton is making his statement to the Dark Council. You will not interfere. Or I and my apprentices will have something to say about it."

Nocturne'a's eyebrows rose. "Your master has a truly astonishing number of followers."

Enraj bristled. "I am not his follower. I am his ally. There is a whole strata of politics you have no exposure to. Did you think Thanaton was alone in his beliefs? Gentlemen, if you would. Kill her."

Nocturne'a shrugged. "Your mistake," she said as her saber whirred to life. With the assistance of Khem and HK, the fight lasted about a minute. As she turned off her saber and returned it to her belt, Nocturne'a heard Thanaton's voice through the door. "My lords, her master was corrupt. She is corrupt. Without Sith tradition, we are nothing!"

Darth Marr's cold voice spoke next. "And what are you suggesting we do about it?"

Nocturne' calmly sliced the lock and opened the door in time to hear Thanaton's response. "You know what the situation requires. Order must be preserved. Punishment meted out. If we are to conquer our enemies, Zash's former apprentice must die." The tall, grey-haired human was pacing back and forth across the center of the room, his red eyes bright and his tattooed face animated with passion as he pressed his case. Nocturne'a supposed she had to respect that passion, if nothing else.

The young assassin stepped into the room and spoke, a cool look on her face. "We people of principles need to stick together," she said, tossing the challenge into the startled silence.

Thanaton bristled. "Principles? What principles? Flagrant murder of a master, destruction of Imperial property, mockery of tradition?"

Darth Mortis spoke. "If you had lived as long as I have, Thanaton, you would not revere the past so unquestioningly."

"The Kaggath is a playground game. Murder has no rules," Darth Ravage said coldly.

"The Kaggath is an honored tradition of the Sith. Tulak Hord competed. Marka Ragnos! Ludo Kressh!" Thanaton protested.

Darth Marr seemed intrigued. "The question stands. Why has this apprentice, this child, proved impossible for you to kill?"

Nocturne'a smirked. "It's simple. I beat him at his own game."

"Don't mock me," Thanaton spat.

Darth Ravage was getting impatient now. "I swear, if you don't silence Thanaton, I will."

Thanaton straightened up. "I will not be betrayed. I will not die. And when I've killed this slave, you will all answer for it." His hands began to glow with power, and Nocturne'a prepared for the fight of her life.

Force lightning crackled through the room, the storm swirling around the two dueling Sith. Nocturne'a deflected the lightning and launched an attack of her own, saber whirling. Khem Val circled around and lunged, forcing Thanaton's attention to turn to him. HK-47's sniper rifle discharged again and again, providing another distraction for Thanaton. Finally, Thanaton stumbled.

 _~Now!~_ Revan's voice echoed in Nocturne'a's mind. _~While he's off-balance! Take him down!~_

Nocturne'a called on both sides of the Force, blending them together feeding her passion into the swirling power. Thanaton was flung back into the wall, hard enough to crack the stone. He scrambled to his feet, and reached for the ritual power, but the strength of the bound spirits allowed Nocturne'a to shrug the attack off. Thanaton drew his red saber and lunged desperately at Nocturne'a, but her power caught hold of him and she pressed down. Inexorably, the power she wielded forced Thanaton to his knees.

"No," Thanaton moaned, crawling away. "I won't be defeated. I can't be." No longer did he look dignified and intimidating. The lines on his pale tattooed face and bloodshot red eyes only make him look pathetic. His once-elaborate robes lay in smoking tatters, and Nocturne'a sneered down at him. He looked pleadingly at the other members of the Dark Council, who had been watching the fight. Darth Mortis shook his head. "I'm sorry, Thanaton." The head of the Sphere of Laws and Justice twisted his hand sharply and the sound of Thanaton's neck breaking echoed through the room.

"Good riddance to him," Darth Ravage sneered.

There was a warning in Darth Marr's voice. "He was a better Sith than you give him credit for, Ravage."

Darth Mortis defused the possible argument. "Let us hope his successor is as worthy." He turned to Nocturne'a and gestured to an empty chair. "My lord, your seat."

Nocturne'a's whole being was still tingling with the remnants of the power she'd been wielding, but she managed to pull together a response. "My lords, I'm...I'm truly honored. I was not expecting this at all." It wasn't exactly a lie. The possibility had occurred to her, but she hadn't really believed it would happen.

"You just killed a Dark Council member in fair combat. What did you expect?" There was something resembling respect in Darth Marr's voice.

"She's only a lord," Darth Ravage protested. "You can't put a lord on the Dark Council."

"Quiet Ravage!" Darth Marr snapped. "She's earned her place."

The Council members formed a circle around her in a ceremonial way. Darth Marr spoke formally. "By order of the Dark Council, and in light of your inscrutable reputation, you are now Darth Occlus."

At Marr's direction, the newly dubbed Darth Occlus took her seat. Marr spoke again. "You are head of the Pyramid of Ancient Knowledge. You are charged with keeping the mystical knowledge of the Sith and guarding the secrets of our order," his voice took on a triumphant note, "With us, you are ruler of all the Sith, answerable only to the Emperor himself."

Nocturne'a was too tired to play politics at this point. "I will do my best to live up to my new position."

Ravage sneered slightly. "Never trust the humble ones."

 _~You should watch that one carefully,~_ Revan commented. Nocturne'a sent the impression of a laugh. _~I'll have to watch them **all** carefully,~_ she replied. Darth Mortis was speaking again, so Nocturne'a refocused on her surroundings.

"Our business here is complete," the old Sith Lord was saying, "You would do well to meet with your followers on Dromund Kaas and ensure their loyalty. We will summon you the next time the Dark Council congregates."

One by one, the Dark Council members rose and filed out of the room. As they passed Nocturne'a, each gave her a nod or some other gesture of acknowledgement. Nocturne'a even saw respect in a few of the glances. Finally, she, Khem Val, and HK-47 were alone in the huge chamber. Pulling herself together again, Nocturne'a rose from her seat and swept out of the room. She drew her power around her like a cloak, sending out the vibe of 'stay out of my way if you value your life.' Of course, she wouldn't really kill someone if they bumped into her, but she had an image to maintain, especially now. _I'm actually on the Dark Council,_ she thought as she left the academy and made her way back to the spaceport. _Life just got **really** complicated._

The rest of her crew were waiting at the top of the _Fury's_ ramp. "Congratulations, my lord!" Talos exclaimed. The others offered similar statements, but Nocturne's waved them aside. "Andronikos, let's get out of here," she said.

"Where are we headed?" the pilot asked. Nocturne'a frowned slightly. "Dromund Kaas," she replied finally. Andronikos shrugged, but did as she ordered. Nocturne'a left him to it and walked to where she sensed Revan was waiting for her. The former Jedi was leaning against the wall in the main hold. There was a faint smile on his face. "So," he said. "Congratulations, Darth Occlus."

Nocturne'a smiled back. "Thanks. I couldn't have done it without your help."

Revan inclined his head, accepting the thanks. "So, I suppose we're off to Dromund Kaas, then?" he asked. Nocturne'a nodded. "The trip will take about four hours, and I'll finish there as fast as I can." The distaste for the Imperial Capital was evident in Nocturne'a's voice, and Revan picked up on it.

"Not fond of the Capital, then?" he asked. Nocturne'a shook her head. "The climate leaves much to be desired, but it's all the politicking that bothers me the most. Everyone jockeying for power and trying to one-up the person next to them."

Revan's face took on a sympathetic expression. "I've never been a fan of politics either," he admitted. "Of course, those power-plays are only going to get worse for you now that you're on the Dark Council."

Nocturne'a huffed a tired laugh. "No kidding. Which is why I plan to spend as little time on-planet as possible. Anyway, as soon as we finish on Dromund Kaas, I'll fulfill my end of our bargain. So you should probably work on deciding where you want us to take you."

"I'll think about it," Revan said. He tilted his head to the side for a moment, looking closely at Nocturne'a. "You look a little singed. You might want to have Talos check you over."

Nocturne'a nodded tiredly. "I was about to do that. And then I'm going to collapse for the rest of the trip."

Revan watched the Sith limp towards the medical bay. His own thoughts swirled as he knelt to meditate. He felt a little sorry for Nocturne'a. _She's certainly got her work cut out for her,_ he mused. _Might be worth having HK keep a covert eye on her._

He was fairly sure that the young assassin was up to the task set before her, but giving her some outside protection wouldn't hurt. After all, such high-placed allies were hard to come by, and he doubted he'd ever manage to get any other member of the Dark Council on his side, so it was in his best interest to keep Nocturne'a alive.

\---

_To be continued..._


	10. Chapter Nine: Parting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, much of the dialogue in the first half of this chapter is taken directly from the game.

_\---Dromund Kaas---_

_At least Thanaton was organized,_ Nocturne'a mused as she scanned through a datapad. The meditation chambers that had been Thanaton's were now hers, but aside from a cursory glance, she hadn't done a closer inspection of them yet. Restructuring the chambers to her liking could wait. The door whooshed open and Khem Val stalked in.

_"My master, your followers have gathered to meet you in your moment of victory,"_ he rumbled. Nocturne'a nodded and swept out of the office, moving to the audience chamber. It was full of people, her crew among them. Khem spoke, his voice a commanding growl. _"Behold the heir of Tulak Hord and Kallig! Bow to Darth Occlus!"_

Literally everyone in the room dropped to their knees. Nocturne'a felt a slight twinge of unease at the sight. As a slave, she had spent far too much time on her knees, and she didn't like the feelings the position inspired. Salutes and bows of respect were fine, but such complete displays of abasement made her uncomfortable. _I'll deal with it later,_ she thought as Darth Achelon approached and dropped to one knee. "My lord, let me be as the lightsaber at your side, always at your disposal."

_He's waiting for orders,_ Nocturne'a realized. _Well then, I'd best get started._ "We are the guardians of ancient Sith knowledge, the source of Sith power," she said. "Find artifacts, learn secret rituals and bring them to me." A seed of an idea was taking root in her mind. If she could learn more about the Emperor's past, discover some of the rituals he had worked, she could pass that information on to Revan. It would help repay the debt she owed him.

Achelon nodded, as if he had expected that order. "Of course. Thanaton had very promising projects underway, my lord. I will see if any have borne fruit and report back to you."

Achelon quickly moved away and Nocturne'a dismissed the rest of her followers. She still had a few things to do before she left the citadel. The moment she was alone, all four of her bound spirits materialized.

"You've done well for yourself, little snake," Darth Andru crooned.

Ergast's shade was more direct. "But we're done. Your enemy is dead. Free us as you promised."

The spirit of Horak-Mul crossed his arms. "Speak for yourself, Ergast," he spat. "I, for one, have no desire to be bound to a coffin in the frozen wastes of Hoth once more. Alone and forgotten."

Nocturne'a frowned slightly. She had no wish to condemn the spirit to such a fate either. "Is there a way I can help you find peace before you go?" she asked.

Horak-Mul thought about it. "Perhaps," he said slowly. "The Jedi are known for redeeming spirits to freedom. But it goes against everything that being Sith stands for."

Nocturne'a didn't even have to think about it. She kept her promises, and the spirits had done as they had said they would. "Let my light redeem you." She dropped smoothly into a meditation pose and reached inside herself, examining the bonds that linked her to other beings. She was a little startled by the strength of the bond she'd formed with Revan, but that was something to think about later. Right now, she had to concentrate. She carefully unraveled the bindings that held the four spirits to her, opening a path into the Force for them.

Nocturne'a vaguely heard Kalatoah Zaveros murmur, "Unbelievable. I never thought I'd feel like this..."

"Is this what it's like to truly die?" Ergast whispered.

"What is it?" The wonder in Darth Andru's question was clearly audible, as was the joy in Horak-Mul's response. "Freedom."

The Force flowed though Nocturne'a in a rushing torrent, carrying the spirits along with it. And suddenly, they were gone and the young Sith was alone in her own mind. She got up and gave herself a shake. _It's...quiet,_ she thought, bemused. Then reality reasserted itself. _Not done yet,_ she told herself. Pulling out her holocomm, she called her crew and gave orders to meet back at the ship.

When they were all gathered in the central cabin, Talos spoke. "My lord, this is incredible. I am truly humbled if I was even the slightest help. Where to now?"

Nocturne'a turned to look at Revan. "Well?" she asked the former Jedi. "Have you decided where you want us to take you?"

There was a thoughtful expression on Revan's face. "Our best bet would probably be Nar Shaddaa," he said finally. "Not only is it neutral territory, but there are so many ships coming and going that it would be almost impossible for whatever moves I make after we part ways to be connected to you."

Nocturne'a nodded. "Nar Shaddaa it is. Andronikos, set course for the Smuggler's Moon."

The pilot nodded once and set off for the cockpit, while the rest of the crew scattered to their usual locations. "I'll go find out how long the trip will take," Nocturne'a said.

"Come back when you're done," Revan told her. "There are a few things we should discuss before we part ways." Nocturne'a nodded and trailed after Andronikos. She returned moments later. "We'll be at Nar Shaddaa in seventy-six hours or so," she said.

Revan nodded and Nocturne'a ran a tired hand through her hair. She sank into one of the seats, and Revan took one opposite her. "So, things to discuss?" she asked.

"Yes," Revan began. "First, the bond you formed when you rescued me."

Nocturne'a frowned faintly. "I'm not very good at Force healing," she said. "I know the basics for treating physical wounds, but I didn't know how to undo what the Emperor did to you. All I could do was give you energy and hope it worked." Her face took on a puzzled expression. "I don't understand how the bond got so strong. I've never seen anything like it before."

"I'm afraid that might be more my fault than yours," Revan replied. "Forming strong bonds to those I work with seems to be instinctive for me." Nocturne'a gave him a confused look and he shook his head with a sigh. "Never mind."

"It's not permanent, is it?" Nocturne'a asked, a little worried. She wasn't particularly keen on having a Jedi take up permanent residence in her head, especially one as powerful as Revan, even if he had helped her. "I mean, we can sever it, right? You said that master-student bonds are severed when the Padawan reaches Knighthood."

"I believe we can sever it, yes," Revan assured her. "Meditate with me."

Nocturne'a rose and led Revan to her quarters, currently the quietest spot on the ship. The two knelt across from each other and opened their minds to the Force. Having no idea how to go about severing this bond, Nocturne'a simply let Revan into her mind. Why she trusted him so much, she couldn't say. Trust was a foreign concept to the Sith, yet somehow, Nocturne'a _knew_ that Revan would not harm her, not now.

Again, Revan was slightly baffled by the trust this young assassin was giving him, literally opening her soul to him. Setting his confusion aside for later study, he got to work, examining the nature of the link that bound him to the Sith. It took a solid three hours of work to unravel the bond, and there were several faint traces that Revan found he could not remove. _Probably because she shared her life-force with me,_ he thought as he disentangled himself from her mind. What Nocturne'a had done was similar in a way to how Bastila had saved his life on his flagship so long ago and he had to appreciate the irony.

"Well, that's the best I can do." Nocturne'a opened her eyes and frowned slightly at Revan's words. "I can still feel the traces," she said.

"I know," he responded. "But distance will weaken it further, so it shouldn't cause any problems."

_And there isn't much else we can do about it,_ Nocturne'a thought. Well, she supposed that was what she got for meddling in areas where she had no training. "Fair enough," she said, getting to her feet and stretching. "What now?"

Revan stroked his beard thoughtfully. "What did you plan on doing after this?" he asked. Nocturne'a narrowed her eyes, getting the sense that Revan wasn't just asking out of curiosity. She led him back to the central cabin and sent 2V-R8 to fetch some food. "To be honest, I hadn't actually thought this far ahead," she admitted slowly. "I was so focused on defeating Thanaton that what was going to happen after I did never really occurred to me."

"Perhaps you might be willing to take on a task for me, then?"

"Depends on just what you want me to do."

"Find out what you can about the Emperor's past. The rituals he performed and the sources of his power."

Nocturne'a felt a slight chill run down her spine. She had already thought about doing this, but to have Revan ask it of her directly.... "I'll see what I can find out, but it will probably take a while. The Emperor guards his secrets carefully." She stroked the delicate bone spurs on her chin. "You know, there are some pretty substantial rumors that Lord Scourge defected and is working along side a Jedi," she said. "He'd be a better source of knowledge about the Emperor than I would. You might look into that."

Revan grimaced. "We'll see," he said. Nocturne'a shrugged. Considering Revan's history with Scourge, it wasn't surprising that he wouldn't want to have further contact with the (former?) Emperor's Wrath.

"So if I do find out useful information, how exactly am I supposed to get it to you? I can't exactly just give you a holocall," Nocturne'a pointed out.

"I'll give you a coded frequency for HK," Revan told her. "You can pass the information to him."

Nocturne'a nodded. "Okay." The young assassin gave Revan a tired smile. "This has certainly been one of the most eventful chapters of my life," she observed. "Although somehow, I think your presence would make any chapter of anyone's life eventful. You've touched so many lives, and I am honored and proud to have played a part in your story, however small that part may be."

"Your part isn't so small," Revan mused. "And something tells me our parts in each other's stories aren't finished just yet."

"The Force?" Nocturne'a had very little experience when it came to Seers, Sith or Jedi, and had never had a vision of the future herself.

"A hunch," Revan replied. "I'm certain our paths will cross again someday."

"I hope not as enemies," Nocturne'a said. Revan inclined his head.

_\---Nar Shaddaa, three days later---_

Nocturne'a moved through the crowded spaceport deliberately, her Force-senses scanning for anyone who might be paying too much attention to her and her group. She'd ordered Khem Val to stay on the ship for now, as he was far too conspicuous, instead bringing Ashara along.

As far as everyone outside her crew was aware, Nocturne'a was on Nar Shaddaa to check on the progress of the work some of her followers were doing. It was not unexpected for a Sith to keep strange company, so no one remarked on the hooded and cloaked figure that trailed a step behind Nocturne'a and her apprentice. Nocturne'a's Assassin's Shelter was wrapped tightly around Revan once more, hiding his presence from all Force-sensitives. A simple holo-projection transformed HK-47 into a standard protocol model, and the disguised assassin droid clanked along beside them.

A room in a clean, if relatively cheap hotel was rented for a week, and some judicious Force-persuasion ensured privacy and silence. Once the door was closed and locked and the room swept for bugs, Revan lowered his hood and HK-47 dropped the disguise.

"So, this is where we part ways," Nocturne'a said, a little regretfully.

Revan nodded. "It is."

Nocturne'a pulled a credit voucher out of her pocket and handed it to Revan. "Here. This should be enough to get you by for a bit."

Revan nodded his thanks and held out his hand for Nocturne'a to shake. "I'll lie low for a week or so so you don't come under suspicion."

Nocturne'a smiled for a moment, then her expression sobered. "Are you going to tell anyone the truth about how you got out of the Maelstrom Prison?"

"I may have to tell a few people, but I'll keep the number low. Your secret will be safe," Revan assured.

"Thank you." Nocturne'a bit her lip. "I'll contact HK if I find out anything worth passing on."

"And I'll have him contact you if it becomes necessary for whatever reason."

Nocturne'a couldn't really think of a reason off the top of her head, but life had a way of throwing curveballs at her. She glanced at HK-47. "I'll be seeing you then, HK," she said.

"Statement: I will be looking forward to it," HK-47 replied.

Nocturne'a moved to the door, glancing back one last time. "May the Force be with you," she offered, the Jedi saying feeling odd in her mouth.

"May the Force serve you well," Revan replied, the Sith version of the farewell making Nocturne'a smile.

_\---To be continued---_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we've come to a breaking point. Don't worry though, we're far from finished. ;)
> 
> Now, on a mostly different note, since I don't know how or where to post a prompt on this site, and the last time the SWTOR kink meme was updated was in 2012, I figure I'll post my little prompt here and see if anyone wants to take a stab at filling it:
> 
> In the KotOR comic series, Zayne Carrick and Malak met and interacted a few times, but Zayne never got to meet Revan. Well, I think he should. 
> 
> Whether the story ends up an AU (Zayne veers off from the main story - say, going with Malak at the end of the Flashpoint story arc or after the Vindication arc - or takes place after the comic series ends and Zayne has officially joined in the fighting is up to the author. I just want to see an interaction between Zayne and Revan.


	11. Interlude: Research

Time passed, and Nocturne'a's power grew. She made political connections and did what she could to make the Empire a better place for those who lived under its rule. But she never forgot the promise she'd made to Revan. When rituals matching a certain set of criteria came to her attention, the young Sith set the information on them aside. Slowly, a frightening picture began to take shape.

Nocturne'a knew that if she was discovered doing this, she would be killed in a way that would make Thanaton's plans for her death look merciful. But she didn't stop her work. When she'd learned so far told her that if the Emperor wasn't stopped, he would devour _everything_. So despite the danger, the young Sith persevered.

 _This galaxy is full of powerful, mystical secrets,_ she mused one day. _Some of those secrets are so dangerous and dark that they should never have been unraveled. But I must find them anyway._

The current line of research was leading Nocturne'a and her crew down a puzzling path of investigation into the origins of her own species. Talos was in his element, and Nocturne'a had no qualms about letting him take the lead.

"This is quite interesting, my lord," Talos said, gesturing of Nocturne'a to look at the datapad he held. "It appears that because your species originated on Korriban, nearly all of you have an innate sensitivity to the Dark Side of the Force. Even those Purebloods who are not Force-sensitive have some ability to manipulate the existing darkness surrounding them."

"Hmm..." Nocturne'a said. "I've heard rumors that certain planets serve as nexuses for the Force. Korriban and Tython are two such planets. See if you can find any substance to these rumors, and look for any other planets that might fit."

"Yes, my lord," Talos said cheerfully. "I won't disappoint you."

Nocturne'a nodded vaguely and moved towards her cabin. She was extremely preoccupied at the moment because her dreams had taken a turn for the strange once more. Only fragments of the dreams remained with her after she woke, but the fragments were terribly vivid.

 _\--sitting at a table laden with food and drink, across from two people who wear the distinct robes of the Jedi. One is a small alien, green-skinned with large pointed ears, the other a tan-skinned human woman with blue eyes and dark hair (_ Satele Shan, _a flicker of Nocturne'a's own awareness realizes before the power of the dream overwhelms her again). "This is an incredible story, Revan," Satele says, raising her cup to--_

_\--walking along beside Satele, following a winding path through the Temple gardens. "The very first Jedi walked these paths." (Nocturne'a feels her mouth move, but it is Revan's voice that comes out.) The musing garners a nod from Satele. "Indeed," she says. "If nothing else, the Treaty of Coruscant gave us the opportunity to reexamine where we originally came from. I think it is something we needed." They turn a corner and--_

_\--sitting in the Temple library, examining an old holocron. The image floating above it is a female human Jedi of middling years. "I am Reesa Shan," the image says, "Jedi Master and keeper of the Archives. This holocron is meant for one person: my grandfather, Revan. If you are not he, this message is all that will appear, so please turn off the holocron and leave it be." The image changes slightly, Reesa's form shifting so it seems more real. "Hello Grandfather," the image says. There is shock, a realization that this is a true gatekeeper, as a Sith holocron would have. The image smiles and--_

_\--running through lightsaber katas in an empty training room, limbs aching with exhaustion as the purple blade whips through the air. Wondering how Nocturne'a is doing, and if assigning HK-47 to be a secret bodyguard for her has proven to be more than just an overcautious move on his part. Has the assassin droid had to intervene and save the young Sith's life? He finds the sense of responsibility he now feels for the girl somewhat amusing. Perhaps if they both survive the war (unlikely, but possible), he will take the child under his wing for the long run and see if he can't turn her into something truly great. Neither Sith nor Jedi, but something better than both. That would prove to be--_

By the second dream, Nocturne'a realized she was being given glimpses of Revan's mind, peering into his life and thoughts. While some Sith, probably most, would only think of how to use this to further themselves, Nocturne'a just wanted it to stop. Some of those moments were _private_ , and she had no desire to share them. _Ugh, sometimes this Force-bond is extremely awkward,_ she thought after waking from another dream.

Knowing Revan considered her worthy of being his apprentice for real gave Nocturne'a a flush of pride, however. _I think I'd like that,_ she mused. But the day that might happen was far off in the future. First this war had to end, and that would never happen so long as the Emperor lived. Settling in for meditation, Nocturne'a wondered just how deep this bond ran. Was Revan sharing her mind and thoughts and experiences as well? If so, what did that mean?

Nocturne'a deliberately turned her thoughts elsewhere. _Just what does it mean to be a Sith Pureblood?_ she wondered. _Mother once said the blood of powerful Sith ran in my veins from both sides, and Kallig is one, but who is the other?_ She shook her head in annoyance. _Blast it, I don't even know my mother's name, or my father's. How am I supposed to find out where I came from without that information?_ She supposed that piece of trivia didn't really matter in the long run, but it would have been nice to know.

Nocturne'a learned that the Emperor was originally a Sith Pureblood, but he no longer inhabited his original body. The human she'd met had been his 'Voice,' a vessel he possessed. That raised several questions, starting with what would happen when said vessel was killed. _Will he move to possess a new body, or return to his original one? For that matter, does his original body still live?_

Setting those disturbing questions aside for the moment, Nocturne'a pulled another data pad from the pile. This one contained a treatise on the Massassi, who apparently were cousins of Sith Purebloods like herself. It was interesting that none remained on Korriban, if they were the traditional guards of the sacred places there. In fact, it seemed that the only Massassi who still lived were those who had relocated to Yavin IV under the command of the Sith Lord Naga Sadow.

 _I guess that's as good a place as any to start this search,_ Nocturne'a mused. The young Sith pressed the intercom button to connect her to the cockpit. "Andronikos, set course for the Yavin system," she said.

 _"Aye, my lord,"_ the pilot's voice came back through the speaker. _"We'll arrive in about ten hours."_

 _Good,_ Nocturne'a thought. _Time enough for a good sparring match. We've been too laid-back these past few months. That can't continue._

The Sith called both of her apprentices to the main hold where they usually sparred. "Armor up," she said to both of them when they arrived. The two did so, but when they moved to pick up their sparring sabers, Nocturne'a held out her hand. "If you only use a saber, or only use the Force, you leave yourself weak," she said. "You rely too much on the weapon or the power, and your body will fail you. Why do you think so many Sith are so disfigured from Darkside use? They push their bodies further than they should, channel too much power and it eats away at them. Balance is the key. A balance between skill, strength, speed, power and the tools available to you."

Nocturne'a's eyes narrowed. "Attack one another, hand-to-hand." Xalek and Ashara immediately responded, following their master's orders with alacrity and lunging at each other. A furious sparring match played out before Nocturne'a's intense gaze, the two apprentices perfecting their martial arts forms. Unconsciously, Nocturne'a tightened her grip on her saber, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"React as you would were this a real battle!" Nocturne'a gave a sharp warning before she charged into the fray, her double-bladed lightsaber active in her hand as she lunged for Xalek. The Kaleesh moved out of her way, unconsciously drawing on the Force to move faster than a Force-blind would have been able to and Nocturne'a took the reaction as an invitation to unleash her own Force-powers. Lightning crackled in her palm, but before she could unleash it, Ashara's kick struck her across the face. Stumbling, Nocturne'a glanced at the former Padawan, seeing that she was helping Xalek in the fight and the Sith unexpectedly tossed her weapon to the Kaleesh.

"There are no alliances here. Only the winner and the dead." A low-intensity lightsaber struck Ashara as Xalek took advantage of the weapon. The former Padawan frowned but gave way, accepting the lesson and stepping back from the fight. She watched Nocturne'a turn to face the other apprentice and assume a simple martial arts stance. The Kaleesh lunged forward in in fierce thrust that Nocturne'a quickly side-stepped; she didn't even bother to use the Force to retaliate, instead striking at precise pressure-point on the Kaleesh's arm, causing him to loosen his grip on the saber. She grabbed the weapon from him and tossed it aside. A thin tendril of Force-lightning shot from her index finger and into Xalek's chest, shocking the Kaleesh in reprimand for his lack of imagination, but doing no real harm.

"You had the right idea at first, to take on the stronger threat together, but you allowed opportunity to cloud your judgement of the future of the battle. I was the greater threat, armed and better trained as well as stronger in terms of raw Force-power, but once you had the weapon, you automatically assumed it was all you would need," Nocturne'a said severely. "That is a dangerous thought-pattern to get trapped in. A lightsaber is merely an extension of your own abilities, not the height of them."

Both apprentices shifted uncomfortably, and Nocturne'a's face softened, though her eyes remained fierce. "I know I seem harsh sometimes, but I'm trying to prepare you for what you will face when you're on your own. Right now, as my apprentices, you have my protection, but that protection won't last. Eventually I'll die, either at the hand of a fellow Sith or some other cause. At that point, the only one you can truly trust is yourself. You can only trust others as long as their aims are aligned with yours, and even then you must watch your back." She paused for a moment and Ashara spoke up.

"But Master, I don't understand. You send Xalek and me on missions together all the time. You tell us to watch out for each other."

"Many of those missions are lessons in teamwork, specifically for Xalek," Nocturne'a explained. "You, Ashara, already know how to work with others. But those of us who are trained as Sith from a young age are taught to rely only on ourselves. That is a skill you have yet to master. I will do my best to protect you as long as I can, but soon enough you will end up somewhere where I can't help you. If that happens and you end up in a _situation_ , you must not expect anyone to come to your rescue. You will be on your own."

Ashara's face scrunched up. She was about to speak, but Nocturne'a cut her off. "Oh, if what we are doing in regards to Revan is ever discovered, I want you two to disavow me. Tell them I forced you to help. It may not mean much, but it could buy you time." She smiled faintly at the confusion radiating from the apprentices. "You are my legacy," she told them. "I'm simply protecting that."

She waved a hand to dismiss them. "Now go get cleaned up and get some rest. You'll both need to be at the top of your game when we get to where we're going."

Both apprentices bowed and left the room. Nocturne'a went to her own quarters to follow her own instructions. She had no idea what, if anything, they'd find when they reached Yavin, but it was best to be prepared.

\---

_To be continued..._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, I know, but this mostly a filler to span the intervening time between action chapters. The next chapter should be longer.

**Author's Note:**

> Please review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is welcome; flames will be boxed up and delivered to my chemistry teacher for use in lighting Bunsen burners.


End file.
